PRIME MINISTER

Chechnya

Bob Russell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will raise with President Putin during his visit to the UK (a) the general situation in Chechnya and (b) the safety of Chechens deported from the UK to the Russian Federation.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Reigate (Mr. Blunt) at Prime Minister's Questions on 18 June 2003, Official Report, column 355.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister when he first read the dossier, "Iraq—its Infrastructure of Concealment, Deception and Intimidation", released on 3 February 2003; what advance notice the Foreign and Commonwealth Office had of this dossier before publication; and whether a (a) draft and (b) final version of the dossier was circulated to Members of the Cabinet prior to publication.

Tony Blair: This was a briefing paper for the media that had been commissioned by a cross-departmental Iraqi communications group chaired by my Director of Communications. It was issued by the Downing Street Press Office with my authorisation in the normal way. A copy was placed in the Library of the House for the information of right hon. and hon. Members.

Iraq

David Winnick: To ask the Prime Minister if he will discuss with the US President measures for immediate progress in (a) the provision of essential services, (b) the payment of salaries and (c) other related matters in the administration of Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I am in regular touch with President Bush on all aspects of reconstruction in Iraq. We are working closely with our Coalition partners, the UN and the international community under UNSCR 1483 to provide the basis for a democratic and prosperous future for the people of Iraq.

Iraq

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 17 June 2003, Official Report, column 164W, on Tariq Aziz, under what powers Tariq Aziz is held; and what time limits there are to holding him in custody without charge.

Tony Blair: In accordance with the Fourth Geneva Convention 1949, Occupying Powers are entitled to detain individuals in a variety of circumstances, including where those individuals are suspected of criminal conduct or where they otherwise pose a security risk. Since Tariq Aziz is currently in US custody, issues relating to his detention are a matter for the US.

Iraq

John Stanley: To ask the Prime Minister whether he saw the document "Iraq—its infrastructure of concealment, deception and intimidation" (a) in draft and (b) in final form before it was made public.

Tony Blair: This was a briefing paper for the media that had been commissioned by a cross-departmental Iraqi communications group, chaired by my Director of Communications. It was issued by the Downing Street Press Office with my authorisation in the normal way. A copy was placed in the Library of the House for the information of right hon. and hon. Members.

Iraq

John Stanley: To ask the Prime Minister whether the document "Iraq—its infrastructure of concealment, deception and intimidation" was seen by the Cabinet Secretary (a) in draft and (b) in final form before it was made public.

Tony Blair: No.

Iraq

John Stanley: To ask the Prime Minister whether, at the time he made his statement on Iraq on 3 February 2003, Official Report, columns 21–31, he had been informed of the nature of the non-intelligence sources used to compile the document, "Iraq—its Infrastructure of Concealment, Deception and Intimidation".

Tony Blair: On the front page of the briefing paper it made clear that:
	"This report draws upon a number of sources, including intelligence material".
	I refer the right hon. Member to my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Blaenau Gwent (Llew Smith) on 10 February 2003, Official Report, column 583W.

Iraq

John Stanley: To ask the Prime Minister whether, at the time he made his statement on Iraq on 3 February 2003, Official Report, columns 21–38, he had been informed of which officials in his Prime Ministerial Department were involved in compiling the document, "Iraq—its Infrastructure of Concealment, Deception and Intimidation".

Tony Blair: I was aware that the briefing paper for the media had been commissioned by a cross-departmental Iraqi communications group, chaired by my Director of Communications. It was drafted by officials in the Communication and Information Centre and Number 10 officials were consulted in the normal way.

Iraq

John Stanley: To ask the Prime Minister whether the document "Iraq—its infrastructure of concealment, deception and intimidation" was seen by the Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee (a) in draft and (b) in final form before it was made public.

Tony Blair: The JIC chairman did not see the document either in draft or in final form. The Intelligence and Security Committee have already looked into this matter. In their report published on 10 June 2003 they concluded that:
	"We have been assured that systems have now been put in place to ensure that this cannot happen again, in that the JIC Chairman endorses any material on behalf of the intelligence community prior to publication."
	The Government have already put the appropriate mechanisms in place to ensure that the correct procedures will be followed in the future.
	However on this occasion it is important to be clear that the intelligence material included in the briefing paper was provided by the relevant intelligence agencies and authorised for use in the public domain by those agencies.

Mental Health

Paul Marsden: To ask the Prime Minister how many of his staff retired on medical grounds due to mental health problems in the last year.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Alexander) gave him today.

Older People

Paul Burstow: To ask the Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the role of Cabinet-level champion for older people; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions chairs the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Older People in co-ordinating the Government's policies affecting older people.
	The Government are committed to delivering public services to older people. This includes:
	Free NHS prescriptions and eye tests for anyone over 60;
	Free breast screening for women aged 50 to 65 being extended to all women up to the age of 70 by 2004;
	Winter fuel payments for everyone over 60, to provide help towards the extra costs of keeping warm in winter;
	The Warm Front scheme, previously known as the Home Energy Efficiency Grant, providing grant funding to people over 60 on disability or income-related benefits to assist with heating and insulation improvements to their homes;
	Local bus travel being made more affordable through half-fare minimum concessionary fares provision for pensioners;
	Free TV licences for anyone over 75.
	This activity builds on the action announced in the "Life Begins at 50" report in May 2000. The Department of Health is taking forward the National Service Framework for Older People and published a report on progress in March this year. An update on the active ageing agenda promoted in the "Winning the Generation Game" report is available on the Cabinet Office website. The Department for Work and Pensions published the consultation paper "Security, Simplicity and Choice" on working and saving for retirement and extending opportunities for older workers and has recently announced an action plan for taking this forward. The Age Positive campaign is addressing ageism in the workplace, to prepare for legislation in 2006. In October the new pension credit will offer a secure minimum income and savings incentive for millions of existing pensioners.

Scottish Parliament

Pete Wishart: To ask the Prime Minister which members of the Government were responsible for choosing the site of the Scottish Parliament when this matter was considered prior to the transfer of responsibilities to the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body.

Tony Blair: Information relating to internal advice and decisions is not disclosed under Exemption 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Scottish Parliament

Pete Wishart: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement about central Government's involvement in planning the Scottish Parliament building prior to the transfer of responsibility to the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body.

Tony Blair: The Government were responsible for decisions relating to the Scottish Parliament before 1 July 1999. Responsibility then transferred to the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body.

TRANSPORT

Air Travel (Security)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on security arrangements for international air travel.

Tony McNulty: The UK initiated and has played a leading part in the development of the new EU Regulation on civil aviation security, and we continue to be very fully engaged with EU partners and the European Commission at all levels over international aviation security requirements and arrangements.

Cycling

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received regarding (a) targets for increasing the volume of transport by bicycle and (b) attainment of those targets.

Kim Howells: The Department receives regular representations about these issues from a broad range of cycling interests and we have set ourselves, as part of our Ten-Year Transport Plan, a target of trebling cycle trips by 2010 (based on 2000 figures).

Driver Training

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  when he plans to report on the results of the consultation on his Department's document "Introducing A More Structured Approach to Learning to Drive"; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many submissions he received responding to his Department's consultation document "Introducing a More Structured Approach to Learning to Drive"; how many of those submissions included reference to advanced learning focused on driving safely on motorways; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what representations he has received regarding the inclusion of motorway driving lessons in a revised approach to learning to drive; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: We are currently considering all the views expressed in the 320 responses to this consultation document and will announce the way forward as soon as possible. The consultation included a section on motorway training. A summary of the responses to the consultation will be published at the same time as an announcement is made and will be sent to all those who contributed.

Driver Training

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many drivers involved in motorway traffic accidents in the last five years (a) have not taken a motorway driving lesson and (b) have taken a motorway driving lesson since passing their driving test; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The information requested is not available. However, on-going Departmental research is considering the training undertaken by learner and novice drivers, and details of their driving experience and accidents in the first three years after the driving test has been passed.

Euro Roadshow

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the events he plans to attend as part of the Government's euro roadshow.

Tony McNulty: I refer the hon. Member to the answer from the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, given to the right hon. and Learned Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Mr. Howard) of 20 June 2003 , Official Report, columns 458–59W.

M42

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the widening of the M42.

David Jamieson: We are considering proposals for widening the M42 alongside other proposals emerging from the multi-modal studies and expect to make a statement before the summer recess.

M6

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the cost to business in the last 12 months of congestion on the M6 motorway around Birmingham.

David Jamieson: To obtain a measure of congestion—and the resultant costs—on individual motorway links consistent with most congestion indicators, it would be necessary to measure journey times and speeds as they vary hour-by-hour and day-by-day. Regular measurement of journey times at this level of detail has not been carried out in the past, mainly because of the extremely high costs that would be involved. However, the opening of the Traffic Control Centre next year will greatly improve our knowledge of traffic conditions and will lead to comprehensive information on journey times and speeds being made generally available to the travelling public.

Motorcycle Strategy

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on (a) the inclusion of powered two-wheelers in the development of an integrated transport policy and (b) the development of a national motorcycle strategy.[R]

David Jamieson: The Government's White Paper on the future of transport recognised motorcycling has a role to play in an integrated transport policy. It stated that motorcycling can provide an alternative means of transport for many trips, bring benefits to the individual including widening employment opportunities, and may offer benefits for the environment and congestion. It advised local authorities to take account of the contribution motorcycling can make and to consider specific measures to assist motorcyclists.
	However the White Paper also acknowledged that the role of motorcycling in an integrated transport policy raises some important and complex issues. We have therefore established an Advisory Group on Motorcycling to address these issues. The key workstreams should be completed during 2004, when we intend to determine a strategy for motorcycling.

Rail Safety

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on major improvements to the incidence of slips and trips on the national rail network since 2001.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 23 June 2003
	The Health and Safety Executive (HSE's) Railway Inspectorate (HMRI) works with the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) the rail industry's own safety body, on a number of initiatives to reduce the risk of 'slip and trip' incidents.
	The HSE advises that provisional figures for 2002–03 show that compared with 2001–02 there has been an overall reduction of 4 per cent. in the number of 'slip and trip' injuries reported to the HSE on Britain's rail network.

Rural Transport

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding has been made available to Lancashire county council to encourage new public transport provision in rural parts of the county.

Tony McNulty: Lancashire received a total of £12.051 million for integrated transport measures as part of the 2003–4 transport settlement. Lancashire's Local Transport Plan includes a range of measures to enhance public transport provision in rural areas of the county. It is for Lancashire to spend the allocation in accordance with local priorities. £476,873 was allocated from the fifth round of the Rural Bus Challenge, Garstang Super 8 scheme.

Traffic Congestion (School Run)

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he is taking to deal with congestion caused by parents dropping their children off at schools in cars.

Tony McNulty: We have asked local authorities to develop strategies for reducing car use on the journey to school as part of their local transport plans. We provide support through bursaries for local authorities to employ school travel plan co-ordinators, through a programme of free site specific advice from consultants, and through publication of best practice guides. We are currently working with colleagues in the Department for Education and Skills to explore new ways of tackling this issue.

CABINET OFFICE

Civil Servants

Paul Burstow: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many new entrants to the Civil Service were employed in the Office in each of the last five years; and how many in each year were aged 50 or over.

Douglas Alexander: The figures for the Cabinet Office, based on headcount for the number of permanent staff, are as follows:
	
		
			  50+ Other Total 
		
		
			 1997–98 14 76 90 
			 1998–99 19 62 81 
			 1999–2000 20 129 149 
			 2000–01 28 149 177 
			 2001–02 24 153 177 
		
	
	The figures shown in the following tables represent the data reported to Mandate during the years from 1997–98 to 2001–02, based on headcount, for the number of permanent staff in each department. The figures shown are the overall figures for Departments including any Departmental Agencies. The Tables will also be placed in the Libraries of the House.
	The Mandate database consists of data collected electronically from Departments and agencies and covers about 98 per cent. of civil servants in Great Britain. Some Departments and agencies are unable to supply data to Mandate for technical reasons and provide summary data instead.
	The figures are based on the Departments as they were after the structural changes made following the 2001 election.
	
		Entrants 2 April 1997 to 1 April 2002 by Department and age (permanent staff)
		
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 
			  50+ Other Total 50+ Other Total 50+ Other Total 
		
		
			 COI 8 65 73 4 44 48 1 54 55 
			 Security and Intelligence Services 8 68 76 15 239 254 15 272 287 
			 DCMS 10 93 103 6 42 48 3 41 44 
			 MOD 1,459 7,450 8,909 1,333 6,068 7,401 1,286 7,101 8,387 
			 DfES 10 103 113 29 233 262 41 475 516 
			 Ofsted 3 28 31 6 32 38 6 67 73 
			 Defra 76 747 823 86 916 1,002 80 721 801 
			 Home Office 42 487 529 53 760 813 146 1,559 1,705 
			 Charity Commission 5 29 34 1 30 31 3 56 59 
			 HM Prison Service 352 3,400 3,752 301 2,838 3,139 294 2,845 3,139 
			 DfID 2 41 43 5 78 83 7 72 79 
			 Crown Prosecution Service 15 312 327 16 355 371 16 345 361 
			 Legal Secretariat 1 1 2 0 5 5 1 1 2 
			 Treasury Solicitors 1 24 25 4 31 35 3 55 58 
			 LCD 149 567 716 174 973 1,147 206 1,289 1,495 
			 HM Land Registry 14 344 358 16 330 346 21 342 363 
			 Public Record Office 12 31 43 7 31 38 6 53 59 
			 DTI 49 389 438 66 502 558 47 585 632 
			 ACAS 0 23 23 0 0 0 5 43 48 
			 ECGD 3 21 24 0 7 7 1 30 31 
			 Office of Fair Trading 2 23 25 3 22 25 0 1 1 
			 OFGAS 0 12 12 2 32 34 3 102 105 
			 OFER 2 17 19 0 21 21 0 16 16 
			 OFGEM 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 DTLR 76 803 879 79 900 979 90 1,313 1,403 
			 Health and Safety Executive 8 134 142 11 189 200 17 253 270 
			 OFWAT 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 26 28 
			 OS 7 110 117 1 107 108 3 87 90 
			 HM Treasury 2 51 53 1 48 49 0 37 37 
			 National Investment and Loans Office 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 OGC 1 5 6 0 16 16 0 3 3 
			 Customs and Excise 74 1,153 1,227 38 586 624 31 573 604 
			 GAD 0 11 11 2 15 17 0 1 1 
			 Inland Revenue 302 3,146 3,448 407 4,185 4,592 597 6,253 6,850 
			 DNS 2 12 14 0 10 10 1 21 22 
			 ONS 24 122 146 20 165 185 21 169 190 
			 Registry of Friendly Societies 0 5 5 0 5 5 0 8 8 
			 Royal Mint 0 53 53 3 61 64 1 101 102 
			 DWP 500 5,564 6,064 968 11,52 4 12,492 1,274 13,959 15,233 
			 Northern Ireland Office 1 11 12 0 19 19 2 19 21 
			 Privy Council Office 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 2 
			 Scottish Executive 66 706 772 79 988 1,067 61 774 835 
			 Crown Office and PFS 3 45 48 3 51 54 12 117 129 
			 General Register Office [Scotland] 0 5 5 0 13 13 1 10 11 
			 National Archive for Scotland 0 0 0 4 8 12 3 14 17 
			 Office SOS for Scotland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 
			 Welsh Office 6 59 65 21 110 131 30 267 297 
			 OHMCI 1 5 6 2 7 9 3 15 18 
			 Wales Office 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  2000–01 2001–02 
			  50+ Other Total 50+ Other Total 
		
		
			 COI 8 59 67 3 53 56 
			 Security and Intelligence Services 18 262 280 13 223 236 
			 DCMS 6 46 52 3 50 53 
			 MOD 1,307 6,159 7,466 1,157 5,050 6,207 
			 DfES 44 462 506 36 323 359 
			 Ofsted 15 80 95 69 347 416 
			 Defra 132 1,110 1,242 79 857 936 
			 Home Office 248 3,418 3,666 206 2,134 2,340 
			 Charity Commission 5 67 72 5 55 60 
			 HM Prison Service 296 2,179 2,475 357 2471 2,828 
			 DfID 7 94 101 9 92 101 
			 Crown Prosecution Service 18 260 278 70 907 977 
			 Legal Secretariat 0 0 0 2 2 4 
			 Treasury Solicitors 2 48 50 3 88 91 
			 LCD 442 1,177 1,619 242 1,149 1,391 
			 HM Land Registry 23 360 383 39 550 589 
			 Public Record Office 11 83 94 9 87 96 
			 DTI 110 666 776 112 843 955 
			 ACAS 11 34 45 9 28 37 
			 ECGD 1 45 46 3 18 21 
			 Office of Fair Trading 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 OFGAS 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 OFER 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 OFGEM 4 49 53 2 51 53 
			 DTLR 121 861 982 140 1,046 1,186 
			 Health and Safety Executive 16 279 295 30 381 411 
			 OFWAT 6 45 51 2 39 41 
			 OS 13 125 138 5 104 109 
			 HM Treasury 0 0 0 4 55 59 
			 National Investment and Loans Office 0 0 0 0 3 3 
			 OGC 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Customs and Excise 49 1,067 1,116 44 990 1,034 
			 GAD 2 13 15 2 12 14 
			 Inland Revenue 432 4,259 4,691 541 4,659 5,200 
			 DNS 1 34 35 1 23 24 
			 ONS 40 410 450 21 259 280 
			 Registry of Friendly Societies 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Royal Mint 2 74 76 1 7 8 
			 DWP 969 8,729 9,698 1,902 16,52 3 18,42 5 
			 Northern Ireland Office 4 55 59 2 24 26 
			 Privy Council Office 1 1 2 3 9 12 
			 Scottish Executive 52 686 738 77 963 1,040 
			 Crown Office and PFS 7 108 115 14 134 148 
			 General Register Office [Scotland] 5 14 19 0 10 10 
			 National Archive for Scotland 5 15 20 1 15 16 
			 Office SOS for Scotland 1 13 14 1 11 12 
			 Welsh Office 44 354 398 33 195 228 
			 OHMCI 1 1 2 3 8 11 
			 Wales Office 0 2 2 0 0 0

Departmental Ministers

John Horam: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Ministers there were in his Department in each year since 1996.

Douglas Alexander: The Cabinet Office produces the publication List of Ministerial Responsibilities listing Ministers by department. Copies for each year since 1996 are available in the Library of the House.
	A revised version to take account of recent ministerial changes will be available shortly in both electronic and paper form.

E-Government

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what studies he is undertaking into the feasibility of delivering e-government services through mobile phones; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The Government's overall Channels Strategy, encourages public sector organisations to use a mix of electronic channels including mobile devices to deliver high quality government services to citizens efficiently and cost effectively.
	Figures show that 75 per cent. of the population owns a mobile phone. Its near ubiquity is the principal reason Government are keen to explore the potential of mobile communications.
	The office of the e-envoy has recently commissioned a study on how mobile communications might play a part in the e-government agenda. This study will inform the updated channels framework which is due to be published in the spring of 2004.

E-Government

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what studies he is undertaking and what action he is taking to encourage the private sector to develop e-government services; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The Government have a wide engagement with the private sector to develop e-government services.
	The use of private sector ICT products and services to develop and deliver e-government services is well established. The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) runs a programme of work to foster the effective and efficient procurement of products and services to meet Government's needs.
	Assessment trials of the common IT vocabulary (known as XML) are underway to find the most effective way to allow buyers' and suppliers' computers, running different procurement software packages, to 'talk to each other'. This is a joint initiative from the OGC and the Business Applications Software Developers Association (BASDA). Importantly, the move will enable easier access to the government marketplace for Small and Medium Enterprises.
	Also, as part of the e-government delivery programme, the Office of the e-envoy is responsible for the e-government intermediaries policy. This policy looks towards creating a mixed economy where government, private and voluntary sectors come together to deliver e-government services that better meet the demands of the citizen. A public consultation is currently underway and will conclude on 21 August 2003: http://www.e-envoy.gov.uk/intermediaries.
	The e-envoy also runs an industry consultation group which looks into issues affecting the development of e-government services, drawing in industry views.

Mental Health

Paul Marsden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many of his staff retired on medical grounds due to mental health problems in the last year.

Douglas Alexander: Between May 2002 and April 2003, the Civil Service Pension Scheme Medical Adviser assessed 241 scheme members as meeting the criteria for medical retirement for reasons attributable to mental ill-health. The vast majority of civil servants belong to the Civil Service Pension Scheme, and there are currently more than 500,000 active members.
	Mental ill-health in the context of this answer includes a non-exhaustive range of more specific diagnoses, including for example reactive depression, anxiety, psychosis and schizophrenia.
	Although data on retirements due to mental ill-health can be broken down by individual civil service employer, doing so where the employer has very few cases of this kind runs the risk of revealing the identity of the individuals concerned. In line with exemption 12 of the "Code of Practice on Access to Government Information", such disclosure would constitute or could facilitate an unwarranted invasion of privacy.

Paper Supplies

Sue Doughty: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to his answer of 23 January 2003, Official Report, column 438W, on paper supplies, whether any of the paper or paper products supplied to his Department by Premier Paper are supplied by Stora Enso's Veitsiluoto Mill in Finland; and what assessment has been made of whether this paper contains (a) timber from old growth forests and (b) timber that may have been logged illegally in Russia.

Douglas Alexander: The Cabinet Office is party to a framework contract for the provision of paper for printed publications for which the Premier Paper Group is one of four suppliers. The contract is managed by the Department for Transport. I refer the hon. Member to the first paragraph of the answer given to her by the Member for Plymouth, Devonport on 18 June 2003, Official Report, column 224W.

Service Delivery (Derbyshire)

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will ensure that the delivery and planning of services in (a) Amber Valley and (b) Derbyshire by government departments and public agencies are not distorted by the fact that many areas in Derbyshire do not have DE postcodes.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply.
	The postcode is a sorting and routing instruction for Royal Mail staff, and its sole purpose in the postal context is to help to identify the fastest and most efficient route for the transmission of mail to individual customers. The allocation of a postcode to each district and individual address is thus linked to Royal Mail's network of sorting and delivery offices and has never been intended to signify a geographically definitive address in terms of local authority or any other administrative boundaries.

SCOTLAND

Energy White Paper

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met the Minister for Energy to discuss the implications for Scotland of the Energy White Paper.

Anne McGuire: I am a member of the Cabinet ministerial committee on energy policy which considered the Energy White Paper and also of the ministerial group forming part of the sustainable energy policy network. This network, which will help us achieve the commitments set out in the White Paper, was announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 4 June 2003 and the first meeting will take place this Thursday.

Universal Bank

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the impact on Scottish pensioners and benefit recipients of the exclusion of leading Scottish banks from the Post Office universal bank.

Anne McGuire: All leading Scottish banks have made their basic bank accounts accessible at post offices, and many have now extended these arrangements to current account holders.
	The Government's policy is to extend the choices available to benefit recipients, in respect of where and when they collect their money.

Fisheries

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the impact of EU fishing policy on the Scottish fishing industry.

Anne McGuire: The effects of the Common Fisheries Policy are regularly monitored by the Fisheries Departments.

Fisheries

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the Scottish fishing industry.

Anne McGuire: Scotland Office Ministers have discussed fishing-related issues with their ministerial colleagues on a number of occasions. The Scotland Office will continue to be represented on the Ministerial Steering Group for the fisheries study commissioned earlier this year by the Prime Minister.

Structural Funds

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on recent discussions he has had on (a) the future level of structural funds in Scotland and (b) how the funds will be distributed.

Alistair Darling: I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues and others on a range of subjects.

Postal Services

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has held with ministerial colleagues regarding (a) post offices and (b) postal services in Scotland.

Anne McGuire: I am in regular contact with ministerial colleagues in the DTI about a variety of issues relating to postal services in Scotland including the programme of support for the maintenance of the rural post office network.

Tax Credits

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people in Scotland have experienced delays in receiving the (a) child and (b) working tax credits.

Anne McGuire: Well over three-quarters of the families that are expected to receive the new tax credits are benefiting from them already.

Euro

Eric Joyce: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the composition of the Scottish committee for euro preparations.

Rosemary McKenna: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with Scottish business leaders on the potential benefits for Scottish trade of joining the euro.

Alistair Darling: I refer my hon. Friends to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh, North and Leith (Mr. Lazarowicz).

Holyrood

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive about the role of central Government in the Holyrood building project.

Alistair Darling: I met the First Minister on 16 June 2003 and discussed a range of issues.

ADVOCATE-GENERAL

Devolution

Michael Weir: To ask the Advocate-General on how many devolution issues she has advised since 1 June 2003.

Lynda Clark: Since 1 June 2003, 21 devolution issues have been intimated to me.

Devolution

Alan Reid: To ask the Advocate-General what devolution issues she has dealt with since 20 May 2003.

Lynda Clark: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave earlier to my hon. Friend the Member of Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell).

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Devolution

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the Secretary of State's responsibilities are in relation to devolution in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs made clear last week, he is responsible for the overall devolution settlements and overall Government policy on devolution previously with the Deputy Prime Minister, including the Memorandum of Understanding, the Joint Ministerial Committee and the British-Irish Council.

Devolution

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what recent discussions he has had on the effect of the Government of Wales Act 1998 on the office of the Secretary of State for Wales in respect of devolving further powers; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: None. Section 22 of the Government of Wales Act 1998 provides for the transfer of ministerial functions to the National Assembly for Wales.

Speaker (House of Lords)

David Cameron: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's plans for providing for an elected Speaker for the House of Lords.

Christopher Leslie: Replacing the Lord Chancellor as Speaker of the House of Lords is a matter for the House to determine.

Scotland Act 1998

Pete Wishart: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affair's role under the Scotland Act 1998 in relation to elections in Scotland.

Christopher Leslie: The Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs has no functions under the Scotland Act 1998.

Judicial Appointments

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the Lord Chancellor's responsibilities in relation to judicial appointments.

William Cash: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the Lord Chancellor's functions are in respect of the appointment of judges.

Christopher Leslie: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave today to the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr. Hayes).

Judicial Appointments

Andrew Selous: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what consultation the Department intends to undertake on the proposals relating to judicial appointments.

Christopher Leslie: I announced by way of written statement to the House on 19 June 2003 that the Government will consult widely on how best to take forward our proposal for a new Judicial Appointments Commission. We intend to publish a consultation paper on 14 July 2003. The consultation period will run until November 2003.

Contingency Fee Litigation

Vincent Cable: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps the Lord Chancellor is taking to reduce the cost of contingency fee litigation.

David Lammy: The cost of resolving all types of litigation should be reasonable and proportionate, whether funded by a no-win-no-fee agreement or in any other way. The courts have considerable powers to limit costs and the Government are working with the judiciary, the legal and insurance sectors and others to introduce fixed costs for certain types of cases, and a simpler conditional fee agreement regime and improved guidelines on success fees levels in personal injury litigation.

Lord Chancellor

Bob Spink: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans the Lord Chancellor has for the future exercise of his functions relating to the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

David Lammy: My noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor proposes to exercise his functions as the Privy Counsellor with particular responsibility for the Crown Dependencies in the same way as his predecessors. I shall be the Minister with responsibility for the conduct as necessary of Islands' business within Whitehall.

Queen's Counsel

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will abolish the QC system; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Leslie: I refer my hon. Friend to the response given by my noble and learned Friend the Secretary of State and Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer of Thoroton, on 16 June 2003 in response to a question from Earl Ferrers, Official Report, House of Lords, column 522. I also refer my hon. Friend to the written answer given by my noble and learned Friend on 19 June 2003, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA131, as to the timetable for consultation on this issue.

Coroner's Office

Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what proposals he has for the Review of the Office of Coroner.

Christopher Leslie: We have received the Report of the Fundamental Review of Death Certification and Coroner Services. The Government will publish a response to this Report once Ministers have considered its 122 recommendations alongside the second report of the Shipman Inquiry, which is due later in the summer.

Queen's Counsel

Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what proposals the Secretary of State has for the future of the Queen's Counsel system.

David Lammy: I refer my hon. Friend to the response given by my noble and learned Friend the Secretary of State and Lord Chancellor on 16 June 2003, Official Report, column 522, in response to a question from Earl Ferrers as to whether Her Majesty's Government proposed to discontinue making recommendations for the appointment of Queen's Counsel. I also refer my hon. Friend to the written answer given by my noble and learned Friend on 19 June 2003, Official Report, column 131W, as to the timetable for consultation on this issue among others.

Writs

Keith Vaz: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many writs were issued in 2002.

Christopher Leslie: During 2002, there were 35,919 claims and proceedings made in the Chancery Division of the High Court and 18,624 made in the Queen's Bench Division.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Programming Bills

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Leader of the House, what further plans he has for the system of programming of Bills.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. Friend has no plans at present to change the arrangements for programming of Bills, though he would be pleased to receive any positive proposals on this matter.

Parliamentary Questions

Simon Hughes: To ask the Leader of the House, what plans he has to bring forward proposals for changes to the arrangements for answering Parliamentary Questions; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: My right hon. Friend has no plans to bring forward proposals for changes to the arrangements for answering Parliamentary Questions. The changes introduced at the beginning of the year appear to be operating well.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Illegal Timber Imports

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to negotiate an EU ban on the import of illegal timber; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The Government have shown leadership in its strong encouragement of the European Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) process. The European Commission published a proposed FLEGT action plan on 21 May. The plan includes consideration of new EU legislative regulations to address imports of illegally logged timber in a way that is consistent with EU obligations to the World Trade Organisation. We are now working with the European Commission to develop regulations that will enable illegally logged timber to be refused entry to member states. Successful implementation of these proposals would depend on the co-operation of countries that produce and export timber. The UK raised the issue of the proposed action plan at Environment Council on 13 June with the aim of encouraging the incoming Italian Presidency to facilitate a full discussion at an early time and of focussing the attention of other member states on this important issue.

Bovine TB

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to publish the results of the Krebs research into bovine TB in badgers and cattle.

Ben Bradshaw: The Independent Scientific Group on Cattle Tuberculosis has recently advised Ministers that the full set of trial data should be gathered by the end of 2006. I expect the Group to publish its final report, summarising the trial results, shortly thereafter.

Bushmeat

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action her Department is taking to reduce the trade in bushmeat.

Ben Bradshaw: Since March 2002, the Department has had in place a series of measures designed to tackle the disease risks posed by illegal imports of all types of meat and animal products. The number of illegal imports seized in 2002–03 rose to three times the number made in the previous year, reflecting increased enforcement activity and better evidence-based targeting.
	Additional resources for the coming years, together with the improved enforcement and intelligence capability provided by HM Customs and Excise, should ensure that this work is consolidated and built upon. HM Customs are setting up four mobile detection teams to target meat and animal products, and will be increasing the number of detector dog teams to six during the current financial year.
	Defra are also working with the Food Standards Agency and HM Customs to understand what drives the demand for exotic meats and animal products in the UK.
	In addition, under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) the UK played a key role in setting up a Working Group of Central African countries, which is due to report to the next Conference of the Parties in October 2004. We expect its recommendations to provide a valuable resource for all the countries of the region, in aiding their efforts to harmonise and strengthen local controls on the bushmeat trade.

Coastal Protection

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who is responsible for the long-term monitoring and management of compensatory sites for coastal protection purposes.

Elliot Morley: The authority that issues a consent for coastal defence works, which require compensatory measures to address a negative impact on nature conservation interests, will also have the responsibility for ensuring that adequate compensation is provided and maintained. In most instances the consenting authority will be either the local planning authority or the Environment Agency.

Coastal Protection

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what representations she has received from Lancaster city council regarding progress with the Morecambe Coastal Defence Scheme;
	(2)  if she will make a statement on progress with the Morecambe Coastal Protection Scheme.

Elliot Morley: Defra provides funding for coastal defence schemes which meet specified criteria, but responsibility for deciding which projects to promote and their timing rests with local authorities. Defra has paid Lancaster city council some £10.5 million in grant for the first five phases of their coastal defence works at Morecambe. The council has yet to submit applications for funding of further phases of work there. However, I am fully aware that the council are concerned about the time it is taking them to identify habitat compensatory measures for the proposed works as required by the Conservation (Natural Habitats etc) Regulations 1994. Defra is seeking to assist the council by grant aiding studies to identify possible compensatory sites.

Coastal Protection

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what meetings have taken place between the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and English Nature regarding the Morecambe Coastal Protection Scheme.

Elliot Morley: There have been many exchanges over the years between interested bodies, including Defra and English Nature, on the various phases of Lancaster city council's Morecambe Coastal Protection Scheme. Most recently meetings were held between the council, Defra, English Nature and the Environment Agency on 18 February and 21 May 2003 with the purpose of clarifying the steps necessary for the council to progress the next phases of the scheme.

Coastal Protection

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect on flooding in Morecambe of delay to the Coastal Protection Scheme.

Elliot Morley: Responsibility for assessing flood risk rests with local operating authorities rather than Defra. However I understand that the Environment Agency recently undertook a strategic flood risk assessment of their north-west region and concluded that Morecambe was one of the highest flood risk locations. No doubt Lancaster city council are taking this into account in progressing their proposed coastal defence works. For our part, Defra will consider any applications for funding such works as speedily as possible as soon as they are received.

Cotswold Conservation Board

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 9 June 2003, Official Report, column 579W, how many parishes in the proposed Cotswolds Conservation Board fall within the Cotswold district council area; what the total number of parishes within the Board's area is; and whether the proposed eight groupings reflect the proportion between the two.

Ben Bradshaw: All parishes that are in part or totally within the boundaries of the Cotswolds AONB would contribute to appointing the 8 parish members to the proposed Cotswolds AONB Conservation Board. At the moment we understand that 309 parishes will qualify.
	There are 103 parishes that will be covered by the Board and are within the Cotswold district council administrative area. This equates to roughly one third of the total number of parishes covered by the Board. Cotswold district council parishes are shared between four of the eight regional groupings that would appoint parish members to a Cotswolds Conservation Board. In these groupings, they are in the majority in two, and are significantly represented in the other two.
	Therefore, it is likely that between two and four parish appointees to the Board coming from Cotswold district council parishes. Cotswold district council parishes could have between 25 per cent. and 50 per cent. of the parish appointments. However, it must be emphasized that the intention is that a parish appointee will represent Cotswold AONB parishes in general, not just their parish or their regional grouping.

Dairy Farmers

Andrew Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received about the non-retrospective nature of the reference date for calculating compensatory direct payment to dairy farmers; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Several organisations, including the NFU, have made representations on this issue. We have raised it in discussions on the proposal in Brussels, arguing that it has encouraged speculation.

Dairy Farmers

Andrew Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will introduce measures to ensure that dairy sector producers receive direct payments based on the whole of the amount of milk quota held on 31 March 2004 under the single farm payment scheme.

Ben Bradshaw: The proposal is already that the payment would be based on the net quota holding on 31 March 2004.

Dairy Farmers

Andrew Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the reference amount under the single farm payment scheme for dairy farmers, will be applied if the dairy farmer had no registered hectares during the reference period.

Ben Bradshaw: Under the Commission proposals, if the dairy farmer had no eligible land to which a payment could be attached, it would become a "special payment" and subject to certain conditions.

Departmental Veterinary Surgeons

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many veterinary surgeons are employed by her Department.

Ben Bradshaw: The number of veterinary surgeons employed by the Department as at April 2003 is 493.

Environmental Targets

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations she has received regarding (a) environmental targets not yet met and (b) the attainment of those targets.

Elliot Morley: The Department receives a great many representations on these and other aspects of environmental policy, for example, the Efra Select Committee hearing on 18 June 2003 looked at the Department's performance against its Public Service Agreement targets as reported in the Departmental Report.
	The Department has published its environmental Public Service Agreement targets (along with all other Public Service Agreement targets) in the Departmental Report—(ref Cm 5919), which can be found at: www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/deprep/default.htm
	The Report outlines our progress to date in meeting these targets and sets out a wide range of actions necessary to meet them.

Financial Support (South-east)

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial support she has given to the south-east in each of the last five years; and what she plans to give in the next two years.

Alun Michael: holding answer 16 June 2003
	Direct support from the Department to the regional food sector falls under two main areas: support for the development of the sector as a whole via Food From Britain (FFB) and through schemes under the England Rural Development Programme (ERDP). In addition to this, financial support is also available from the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) to which the Department provides funds. Over the last five years, financial support for food from the south east was as follows:
	
		£
		
			 Source 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Food From Britain(1) 55, 289 45,084 67,000 222,319 121,458 
			 ERDP(2) — — — 301,000 1,401,000 
			 SEEDA(3) — 30,000 90,000 20,000 55,000 
		
	
	(1) The figures include funding under the Countryside Agency's Eat the View project (2000–01 to 2002–03), the Department's Foot and Mouth Recovery fund (2001–02) and start-up funding for the regional food group (1998–99 to 2000–01).
	(2) This covers funding under the Processing and Marketing Grant (PMG) Scheme and Rural Enterprise Scheme (RES)—Marketing of Quality Agricultural Products.
	(3) Includes funding to support the marketing of local produce and support for the red meat sector. It does not include the £840,000 available for the development of food related enterprise hubs (as follows).
	For the future, as part of the Department's regional food strategy, Food From Britain will receive £1,260,000 per annum for this year and for the next two from Defra for the promotion of English regional food and drink. In the first year of the programme, the South East Food Group Partnership will receive £120,000 to implement a series of regional level activities in support of the overall regional food strategy. Under the ERDP, the following sums have been allocated for projects in the south east under the RES and the PMG: £1,468,000 (2003–04), £1,647,000 (2004–05) and £1,771,000 (2005–06). In addition, small on-farm food processing projects are among the wide range of activities that are eligible for support within the budget allocated to the Farm Diversification category of the RES.
	SEEDA is also supporting the development of two enterprise hubs linked to the food sector with £840,000 over a three-year period from autumn 2002. It is also developing plans to make available a substantial amount of funding over the next three years (2003–04 to 2005–06) to support the development of the local food sector in the south east to implement aspects of the Regional Economic Strategy and the Delivery Plan for Defra's Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food.

Flood and Coastal Defence

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent reports she has received under her Department's high level targets for flood and coastal defence; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: We expect to receive a number of reports on High Level Targets from the Environment Agency in the coming weeks. Once received, I will place copies of these reports, which are designed to assist in delivery of the Government's policy aims and objectives for flood and coastal defence, in the House Libraries. These reports relate to:
	Target 2—Flood warnings;
	Target 3—Exercises and emergency plans;
	Target 5—Flood defence inspections and assets at risk;
	Target 10—Water Level Management Plans.

GM Crops

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the (a) accuracy and (b) reliability of information submitted by GM consent applicants; and what her policy is on where liability should lie for damage to (i) human, (ii) animal and (iii) environmental health of GM releases.

Elliot Morley: The legislation requires all applications for consent to release or market genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to be supported by a dossier of information about the GMO and its properties and an assessment of the risk to human health and the environment from the proposed release. This information is scrutinised by officials for compliance with relevant legislation. Scientific assessment of the dossiers is carried out by independent experts; the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment, the Advisory Committee on Animal Feedingstuffs, the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes, the Food Standards Agency, the statutory nature conservation agencies and the Health and Safety Executive. Consent to release would only be issued if these advisors are satisfied as regards the reliability and accuracy of the information provided by the applicant.
	As regards liability, approval for a GMO release will only be given if the relevant authorities are satisfied that all appropriate measures are being taken to avoid adverse effects on human health and the environment. There are specific provisions in Part VI of the Environmental Protection Act giving powers to the courts and the Secretary of State to remedy harm that results from the commission of an offence. Otherwise currently there are no specific liability provisions in relation to GM releases. Depending on the circumstances, however, a claim for redress could be made through the courts under existing general legal principles. The independent Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission is preparing a report to Government on GM crop liability. We will consider this issue further in the light of that report.

GM Crops

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which (a) organisations and (b) individuals were invited by her to debate the future of GM crops in the South West on Saturday 7 June in Taunton; and how they were chosen.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 16 June 2003
	GM Nation?—the public debate on GM issues—is being run by an independent Steering Board at arm's length from Government. The regional public launch events, such as the one in Taunton on 7 June, were open to all—no specific organisations or individuals were invited. The date, time and venue were publicised in press releases on 13 May and 3 June and also at the launch of the debate on 3 June. The information was also available on the website and received widespread media coverage. Individuals who wished to attend were asked to register in advance and tickets were made available on a first come, first served basis. The events involved facilitated active participation in small discussion groups, which limited their overall size. Two sessions were held at Taunton in response to demand.

GM Food

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent by consumers on genetically modified foodstuffs in each of the last 10 years, broken down by type of foodstuff.

Elliot Morley: Official statistics on consumers expenditure do not separately identify expenditure on genetically modified foodstuffs.

Illegal Meat Imports

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on responsibility for security at ports and airports to counter illegal imports of meat.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 23 June 2003
	Following the recommendations of the Cabinet Office Review of enforcement structures which reported in November 2002, responsibility for anti-smuggling activities was transferred to HM Customs and Excise on 11 April. Defra retains responsibility for policy on illegal imports of meat and animal products.

Marine Resources

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in what ways the exclusive competence allocated to the EU by the draft constitution over marine resources differs from the CFP's competence; and how it affects the (a) six and (b) 12 mile limit.

Ben Bradshaw: The draft EU Constitutional Treaty is in our view a clarification of existing EU competence with regards to the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). There is no extension of competence, and the six and twelve mile limits are unaffected.

Non-native Fauna

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list Non-native fauna identified by her Department as needing to be (a) controlled and (b) eradicated; what estimate she has made of the numbers in each case; and what estimates she has made of the annual cost of (i) control and (ii) eradication in the next three years.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department is aware of a number of Non-native species which can impact on native biodiversity but has not compiled a comprehensive list of Non-native fauna proposed to be controlled or eradicated. Issues in relation to individual species are considered on their merits, and control programmes may also be taken forward by the conservation agencies, other government departments, non-governmental organisations and others to address specific impacts. The devolved administrations can also take action in other parts of the UK. Environmental and economic effects of the presence of the species, the relative cost and likely success of control, are all important considerations.
	I recognise that the problems caused by invasive Non-native species can be serious. The recent Review of Non-native Species Policy recommended that Government develop a comprehensive system to assess risks from Non-native species, and also policies with respect to management and control of Non-native species present or newly arrived in the wild, and operational capacity to implement these. The Review's report, available in the House Library, also gives indicative control costs for some invasive Non-native species. This is a complex and wide-ranging issue and we will be considering the review's report carefully in developing, in liaison with the Devolved Administrations, the Government's strategy to take this forward. There will be public consultation later this year.
	In respect of species and organisms currently identified to be eradicated, action is being taken by Defra's plant health service to eradicate some introduced plant pests, including the potato brown rot bacterium from watercourses in eastern England, Phytophthora ramorum (the pathogen causing sudden death of oak trees in California) from nursery stock, and the insect pests Bemisia tabaci and Liriomyza huidobrensis from outbreaks in glasshouses. Contingency plans for possible outbreaks of Karnal bunt of wheat, potato ring rot and Colorado beetle are currently being drawn up or revised. Also, on the 3 March 2003 I made a written statement to the House stating that the Government agreed in principle to the eradication of the North American ruddy duck, 3 March 2003, Official Report, column 71WS. However, before a decision is made on whether to move to eradication the Department has commissioned further research to refine control methods over the next 15 months at a cost of approximately £250,000.

Pesticides

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the regulations governing use of pesticides.

Alun Michael: The Government's primary aim when it comes to pesticides is the protection of people and the environment. Pesticides are therefore strictly regulated in this country under national and EU rules and we have effective controls on pesticide residues on imported and home-grown produce. Moreover a gradual transition is already underway to an EC system of regulation which, in addition to safeguarding people and the environment like the UK's national regulations, is aimed at achieving consistent standards between Member States. However, I am advised that our national regime is quite robust enough to protect people and the environment until the EU system is fully up and running.

Ritually Slaughtered Meat

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much ritually slaughtered meat was exported from the United Kingdom in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 19 June 2003
	Official overseas trade statistics do not separately identify ritually slaughtered meat and therefore the information requested is not available.

Sustainable Development (TUC Committee)

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who she has appointed to co-chair the Trades Union Committee on Sustainable Development.

Elliot Morley: The Trade Union Advisory Committee on Sustainable Development has been jointly chaired by a Defra Minister and John Edmonds, until recently General Secretary of the GMB Union. Mr. Edmonds will be stepping down as co-chair at the next meeting of TUSDAC and arrangements for a successor are being considered by the TUC.

Tourism

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of (a) the Brecon Beacons, (b) the Norfolk Broads, (c) Dartmoor, (d) Snowdonia, (e) Exmoor, (f) the Lake District, (g) Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, (h) the North York Moors, (i) Northumberland, (j) the Peak District, (k) the Pembrokeshire Coast and (l) the Yorkshire Dales is given over to agriculture; and what the agricultural products was in each case in the last year for which figures are available.

Alun Michael: The total agricultural area (as at June 2002) and the total area of each specified National Park in England is shown in the following table. National Parks in Scotland and Wales fall under the jurisdiction of the devolved authorities concerned.
	
		
			 National Park Total area of National Park (Sq km) Total area of agriculture (Sq km) Agricultural area as percentage of total area 
		
		
			  
			  
			 (b) The Broads 303 175.6 57.9 
			 (c) Dartmoor 954 481.4 50.5 
			 (e) Exmoor 693 510.1 73.6 
			 (f) The Lake District 2,292 1,268.6 55.3 
			 (h) The North York Moors 1,432 781.2 54.5 
			 (i) Northumberland 1,049 734.4 70.0 
			 (j) The Peak District 1,438 1,139.9 79.3 
			 (l) The Yorkshire Dales 1,773 1,210.8 68.3 
		
	
	Sources:
	1. The Association of National Park Authorities, www.anpa.gov.uk
	2. Yorkshire Dales National Park, www.yorkshiredales.org.uk
	3. The June 2002 Census of Agriculture and Horticulture.
	Agricultural output for each National Park in England can be found at the internet link: http://farmstats.defra.gov.uk/cs/farmstats data/MAPS/interactive maps/natpark map.asp

Voluntary Organisations

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding programmes are operated by her Department to support voluntary organisations working with young people; and what the level of support has been in each of the last three years.

Alun Michael: Defra funds a wide variety of voluntary organisation which work with young people but it is difficult to separate out specific expenditure within funding across all the department's programmes. Much of the work done with young people is carried out as part of broader programmes of work that also target other groups. Because of this it is not possible to rapidly provide a precise breakdown of support to voluntary organisations working with young people. Other work—particularly mainstream work with young people in rural communities—is funded by other Government departments.
	There are three specific strands of finance which are targeted particularly at young people. They are:
	(1) The Environmental Action Fund which helps voluntary groups in England working to promote sustainable development. The majority of projects involve young people to some extent and in 2003–03 the involvement of young people is a major component of projects totalling £1,023,664.
	(2) ENCAMS. Defra funds the environmental charity ENCAMS which is the parent organisation of the Tidy Britain Group, for work on litter, waste and local community initiatives in England. ENCAMS funding for youth related programmes and campaigns in 2002–03 was £252,000.
	(3) The Sustainable Development Fund which particularly targets the engagement of young people from rural and urban backgrounds on projects in the National Parks and the Broads which has £1 million for 2002–03 (increasing to £1.6 million for 2003–04).
	In addition, Table 1 gives details of the funding made available to voluntary organisation across Defra's areas of responsibility, comparing 2000–01 and 2002–02. The total figure was nearly £39 million in 2002–03 compared with £20 million in 2001–02.
	
		Table 1
		
			 Funding programme 2001/02 Total funding 2002 (£) Number of grants 2002 Average grant (£) 2002 Total funding 2001 (£) Number of grants 2001 Average grant (£) 2001 
		
		
			 The Rural Stress—Action Plan 300,000 3 100,000 597,288 4 149,322 
			 Nat Federation of Young Farmers 66,000 1 — 68,000 2 34,000 
			 National Energy Action 943,335 1 — 850,000 1 — 
			 ENCAMS 3,876,000 1 — 3,542,000 1 — 
			 Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group 448,357 4 112,089 284,000 1 — 
			 Wildlife and Countryside Research Programme 219,027 6 36,505 92,242 3 30,747 
			 Environmental Action Fund 4,115,600 92 44,735 4,187,525 142 29,489 
			 Programme Development Fund 10,572 10 1,057 11,318 4 2,830 
			 Countryside agency schemes 8,677,614 501 370,009 8,935,035 418 129,510 
			 Charity Match Funding (FMD) 16,642,363 55 302,588 (4)— (4)— — 
			 English Nature schemes 3,613,961 48 476,671 1,701,689 70 22,290 
			 Totals 38,912,829 722 — 20,269,097 646 — 
		
	
	(4) No previous

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

A400M

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 3 June, Official Report, column 319W, on the A400M, when the Government was approached to provide financial assistance to Rolls-Royce, and by whom; if she will list the parties involved in the discussion to provide such assistance; when the decision was made to provide a grant to Rolls-Royce, subject to authorisation procedures; and who made that decision.

Jacqui Smith: This department has held an ongoing dialogue with Rolls-Royce over the provision of engines for the A400M.
	Europrop International formally approached DTI requesting HMG support for Rolls-Royce as UK's partner in Europrop International at the end of April. Following close discussions between Rolls-Royce, Ministry of Defence and DTI officials, we felt able to issue a letter of intent to Rolls-Royce on 4 May 2003, indicating a willingness, subject to the usual authorisation procedures, to provide financial support to Rolls-Royce for dual-use engine technology demonstration programmes associated with the
	A400M.

A400M

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 3 June, Official Report, column 319W, on the A400M, what the total eligible technology demonstration programme costs are; what estimate she has made of the size of the grant to be provided to Rolls-Royce; what authorisation is being sought; and when approval is expected.

Jacqui Smith: The eligible costs of the technology demonstration programme(s) and therefore the potential grant related to it are currently being assessed with Rolls-Royce. The support will be delivered under an existing recognised and authorised scheme. The timing of any grant approval is a matter between Rolls-Royce and this Department.

A400M

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 3 June, Official Report, column 317W, on the A400M, for whom the evaluation to which she referred was prepared; how much it cost to research and produce; and who paid these costs.

Jacqui Smith: DTI, as the issuing authority, will undertake the assessment, evaluation and authorisation of any grant in support of the engine technology demonstration programmes. The cost of the evaluation has not been quantified, but will be picked up within the departmental budget.

Arms Exports

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in what circumstances the end-use of UK arms exports would be unacceptable and result in the refusal of an export licence.

Nigel Griffiths: I refer my Friend to the reply from my right hon. Friend, the Member for Neath, the then Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to my hon. Friend, the Member for Crawley (Laura Moffatt) on 26 October 2000, Official Report, columns 199–203W.

British American Tobacco (Smuggling)

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the departmental report into alleged involvement by British American Tobacco in smuggling has been completed; and when it will be published.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 9 June 2003
	Inquiries pursuant to s.447 Companies Act 1985 which were announced on 30 October 2000 are nearing completion. The results of such inquiries under the Companies Act 1985 are not published.

Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the work of the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation.

Stephen Timms: I recognise the positive work the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation does in coalfield areas. I intend to make an announcement on funding for the organisation shortly.

Coal Miners (Compensation)

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of former coal miner claimants represented by each of the top 10 claims handlers have had their claims for (a) chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder and (b) vibration white finger denied.

Stephen Timms: The figures are:
	
		Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
		
			 Top 10 Solicitors (5) (6)Denials as a percentage of total offers 
		
		
			 Thompsons 11.86 
			 Hugh James Ford Simey 9.38 
			 UDM 18.34 
			 Raleys 6.16 
			 Mark Gilbert Morse 8.87 
			 Beresfords 25.28 
			 Browell Smith and Co. 5.89 
			 Graysons 16.45 
			 Watson Burton 6.11 
			 Randall Lloyd Jenkins and Martin 12.00 
		
	
	(5) Top 10 Solicitors are in descending order and based on total claims intimated.
	(6) Denials and total offers are based on the last assessment made as reported in the COPD Weekly Statistics (lines 5.12 and 5.13 respectively).
	
		VWF
		
			 Top 10 Solicitors(7) (8)Denials as a percentage of total offers 
		
		
			 UDM 30.92 
			 Thompsons 27.39 
			 Browell Smith and Co. 29.47 
			 Raleys 19.51 
			 Hugh James Ford Simey 23.95 
			 Graysons 24.39 
			 Watson Burton 24.74 
			 Towells 20.62 
			 Beresfords 44.72 
			 Kidd and Spoor Harper 22.33 
		
	
	(7) Top 10 Solicitors are in descending order and based on total claims intimated.
	(8) Includes Group 3 denials for which solicitors can contend the denial by providing evidence in accordance with the Occupational Group Procedure.

Coal Miners (Compensation)

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claims to date have been received from the Leigh, Makerfield and Wigan constituencies under the coal health compensation scheme for (a) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and (b) vibration white finger; and what percentage of those claims that have (i) received an interim payment, (ii) been fully settled and (iii) not been settled at all.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 17 June 2003
	The figures as of 31 May 2003 are as follows:
	
		(Percentage)
		
			 Constituency COPD Claims Received COPD Interims Paid(9) COPD Claims Settled COPD Claims Not Settled (10) VWF Claims Received VWF Interim Paid(9) VWF Claims Settled VWF Claims Not Settled (10) 
		
		
			 Leigh 2,124 530 28 72 707 285 46 54 
			 Makerfield 1,621 398 23 77 636 326 41 59 
			 Wigan 1,329 339 23 77 364 162 40 60 
		
	
	(9) Figures are for total interims paid. Claimants can receive more than one interim payment.
	(10) Some claimants will have received interim payments.
	Note:Constituency figures can be found on the Department's website: www.dti.gov.uk/coalhealth. The information is compiled in the middle of the month and shows the figures for the end of the previous month.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times the ECGD has circulated details of a case through the Sensitive Case mechanism to the (a) Foreign and Commonwealth Office, (b) Ministry of Defence, (c) Department for International Development and (d) Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; and how many of these cases have progressed to approval.

Mike O'Brien: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence, Department for International Development and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have each received details of the six cases that have so far been considered under the Sensitive Case mechanism. To date two of these cases have progressed to approval.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many applications deemed to have high potential impact the Export Credits Guarantee Department has not approved in the last 12 months; and what the project type was of each application.

Mike O'Brien: In the last 12 months no applications deemed to have high potential impacts have been refused cover by ECGD.

Employment (Tees Valley)

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of employment in the Tees Valley is dependant on manufacturing.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Vera Baird, dated 23 June 2003
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the proportion of employment in the Tees Valley area that is dependant on manufacturing. (120735)
	The Annual Business Inquiry (ABI) gives an estimate of the number of employee jobs in December of each year and the latest year for which figures are available is 2001.
	The ABI data for the requested area is shown in the following table:
	
		Employee jobs in Tees Valley in 2001
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Manufacturing 39,345 
			 Total 251,325 
			 percentage 
			 Manufacturing as a proportion of total 15.7

Post Office Card Accounts

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many Post Office card accounts have been opened in Cornwall; and whether her Department has a target for the number of Post Office card accounts to be opened in Cornwall by the end of 2003.

Stephen Timms: The information is not available in the format requested. National figures only are available.
	However, I understand from the Post Office Ltd. that as of 31 May 2003, 32,900 Post Office card accounts have been opened. This number should grow rapidly over the coming weeks and months as those people opting for a card account complete the application process. By the end of May some 330,000 people had said they want to open a Post Office card account.
	There are no targets for the number of people who can open a Post Office card account.

Post Office Card Accounts

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many Post Office card accounts have been opened in (a) England, (b) Suffolk, (c) Norfolk, (d) Cambridgeshire, (e) Essex and (f) the Bury St. Edmunds constituency.

Stephen Timms: The information is not available in the format requested. National figures only are available.
	I understand from the Post Office Ltd. that as of 31 May 2003, 32,900 Post Office card accounts had been opened.
	This number should grow rapidly over the coming weeks and months as those people opting for a card account complete the application process. By the end of May some 330,000 people had said they want to open a Post Office card account.

Postage Stamps (Discounted Sales)

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  how many postage stamps have been sold at a discounted price in the last 12 months;
	(2)  whether rural post offices may sell postage stamps at a discounted price;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the competitive implications of selling of stamps at discounted prices.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 16 June 2003, Official Report, columns 49–50W.

Renewable Energy Policy

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what comparative studies her Department has undertaken with other European countries which have introduced subsidies for wood-fired power stations; what impact such subsidies have been seen to have had on the availability of wood for other purposes; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the Government's renewable energy policy on UK wood panel manufacturers;
	(3)  what assessment her Department has made of the impact on the availability of wood suitable for products of subsidies paid to electricity suppliers in the form of renewable obligation certificates.

Stephen Timms: The Renewables Obligation is the main instrument put in place by Government to promote the development of renewable forms of energy in the UK. The obligation is intended to provide an impetus for new generating capacity that will be required to meet our current targets for renewable energy set in the Energy White Paper and as a basis for further reductions in carbon dioxide emissions under Kyoto.
	My officials are facilitating work between representatives of the UK wood industry and co-firing power stations to explore the opportunities offered by co-firing under the obligation for UK forestry, and, in particular, the potential for using byproducts from existing wood industries. It is hoped that this initiative, if successful, will have the dual benefit of reducing imports and making more biomass available for a larger market in the UK, thereby helping to stabilise prices. We understand from the forestry industry that it can meet demand from power generators from existing surplus forestry material. My officials are obtaining further information on the availability of forestry material used by power generators and wood panel manufacturers.
	In addition, we are currently reviewing the co-firing rules under the obligation with a view to encouraging stronger take-up of energy crops by farmers which should, in time, relieve any pressure on forestry material.

Renewable Energy Policy

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what subsidies are available to the energy industry for (a) the incineration of biomass renewable fuels and (b) capital equipment such as wood fired generators; and how much these subsidies are estimated to amount to in terms of £ per ton of wood incinerated in power stations.

Stephen Timms: Capital Grants have recently been awarded to projects throughout the UK to construct biomass-fuelled heat and power generation plant. The scheme, jointly run by DTI and the New Opportunities Fund, is worth £66 million and will support the capital costs of projects. These funds have been fully allocated. Projects funded under the scheme are expected to use appropriate biomass fuels such as short rotation coppice and forestry wood fuels as the majority fuel source.
	We do not collect information on the amount of subsidy in terms of tonnage of feedstock. Any estimates would be subject to a significant number of variables e.g. moisture, fuel source and efficiency.

Sewel Motions

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list Sewel motions passed by the Scottish Parliament since May 1999 that apply to her Department's responsibilities and Government bills she has sponsored.

Jacqui Smith: Of the Bills sponsored by my Department, the following were the subject of Sewel motion in the Scottish Parliament on the date indicated:
	Electronic Communications23 June 1999
	Financial Services and Markets23 June 1999
	Limited Liability Partnerships23 June 1999
	Insolvency 1 June 2000
	Enterprise17 April 2002

Telecommunication Masts

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many telecommunications masts there are; and how many of these are shared between different operators.

Stephen Timms: The total number of telecommunications masts in the UK is not recorded nor is it possible to state how many are shared. Some are owned and operated by the communications operators themselves and others are leased from specialist companies. Operators are required always to consider the possibility of sharing mastsor other structures in order to minimise their number. Many structures such as power transmission pylons are shared with telecommunications equipment.

Telecommunication Masts

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new masts she estimates will be required to fulfil the telecommunications obligation under the 3G licences by 2007; and how many of them she estimates will be shared.

Stephen Timms: It is not possible to give a reliable estimate of the number of new masts that will be needed to fulfil the obligations of the 3G licensees, nor the number that will be shared. The total number of masts will be affected by the level of demand for 3G services, by commercial decisions related to the design of the networks and by the requirements of planning authorities. The four operators with existing GSM networks will also be able to reduce the number of sites required by co-locating the 3G and GSM antennae. Two of the operators, T-Mobile and MMO2 have entered into an agreement to share parts of their networks and this will significantly reduce the numbers of masts required. All operators are required to consider the sharing of masts and this has a significant effect in reducing the total number required.

Broadband

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money has been allocated towards the introduction of broadband in (a) Cleethorpes, (b) Great Grimsby, (c) Scunthorpe and (d) Brigg and Goole.

Stephen Timms: This information is not currently held centrally. Yorkshire Forward is committed to and very active in supporting pilot projects looking at broadband coverage across Yorkshire and Humberside and delivers a region-wide integrated strategy.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

National Endowment for Science, Technology andthe Arts

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of income was spent on administration by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts in the last financial year.

Estelle Morris: In the financial year 2001–02 (the last year for which audited data is available), NESTA spent £1.204 million out of total expenditure of £13.541 million (8.9 per cent.) on non-programme expenditure. Audited figures for the financial year 2002–03 will be available in the autumn, and a copy will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Olympic Games

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland concerning London's bid for the 2012 Olympic Games; and what measures she has taken to promote Northern Ireland as a host region for games events.

Richard Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has held no separate discussions with her right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland regarding London's bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. The decision to bid for the Games and related matters was discussed by the Cabinet, of which the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is a member.
	A Bid Company for London 2012, established by the stakeholders, the Government, the Mayor of London and the BOA, will prepare the technical bid for the IOC. They will have the responsibility for identifying proposed venues for Games. Should London be selected as the host city for the 2012 Games there will be opportunities to spread the benefits around the UK, for example through providing training camps for teams from visiting nations, the cultural programme and staging the Olympic football competition.

'Pride of Place' Publication

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many copies of 'Pride of Place' have been sold; and what (a) was spent on and (b) income was received from 'Pride of Place'.

Estelle Morris: According to Arts Council England's latest figures, 939 copies of this publication have been sold which means that they have received income of £11,268. As my hon. Friend the Member for Pontypridd (Dr. Howell) previously stated to the hon. Member, publication cost was £78,000 for a print run of 7,500.

Sport England

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what factors underlay the decision to remove projects from Sport England for 2003–04; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: Sport England's review of its operations, business objectives and Lottery funded programmes is being carried out as part of its modernisation and restructuring programme that we have asked it to undertake. Sport England's Council is convinced that the review of Lottery projects is in the best long term interests of sport in this country. It will enable Sport England to assess future income against its commitments to existing and future programmes and consider how funding might be best used to meet its new business strategy and objectives.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afganistan

Frank Roy: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if he will make a statement on the efforts and contributions made by the Government in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

Hilary Benn: At the Ministerial Conference in Tokyo (January 2002), DFID pledged £200 million over five years for development assistance in Afghanistan. In 2002–03, we provided £75 million including £12.7 million to help clear Afghanistan's arrears to the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, unlocking highly concessional loans of approximately $500 million over the next two years. For this financial year, DFID is willing to increase our Tokyo commitment of £40 million per year to £50 million, linked to progress on civil service reform. The joint FCO-DFID-MOD Global Conflict Prevention Pool will provide a further £16.8 million this year. In addition, DFID will contribute an estimated £40 million through multilateral channels (EC, IDA) this year.

Food Shortages (Africa)

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what targets the Department has for the implementation of early warning systems for food shortages in Africa; which targets have been met; and to which such systems the Department has contributed.

Hilary Benn: DFID's aim is to continue improving early warning systems rather than meeting specific targets. Internationally, DFID is providing support to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to strengthen its capacity to identify and respond to emergencies, including enhancing monitoring systems and Vulnerability Assessment and Mapping (VAM) and the inter-agency Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information and Mapping System (FIVIMS) initiative at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. In Ethiopia DFID is supporting the development of early warning systems in pastoralist areas with Save the Children UK and working with the UN Emergency Unit for Ethiopia (UN-EUE). In southern Africa DFID is active in regional donor co-ordination networks and is supporting the development of a regional strategy for food security.

Iraq

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what percentage, and how much, of departmental controlled aid to Iraq has been (a) allocated and (b) spent on (i) humanitarian aid, (ii) reconstruction work, (iii) institution building, Government capacity and civil service reform, (iv) salaries, administration costs and overheads and (v) security; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: We do not categorise our assistance to Iraq in the above way. So far, almost all of our support has been made through international agencies to meet immediate humanitarian needs. To date, of the £115 million that has been committed towards such assistance in the current crisis, £13 million has been allocated to the United Nations for preparedness, £65 million to the United Nations Flash Appeal to UN agencies, £32 million to the International Red Cross and £5 million to NGOs. We have, so far, disbursed £84 million of this allocation. An additional £4 million has been approved to cover DFID's own emergency response to fund secondments to Baghdad and Basra to support the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) and the UN system. This brings the total DFID commitment in Iraq to date to £119 million.
	A further £95 million has been set aside by DFID to respond to further emerging humanitarian needs as they arise. HM Treasury has made another £60 million available for humanitarian assistance and reconstruction should it be required. Our approach to prospective UK funding to Iraq is set out in our Interim Iraq Humanitarian and Rehabilitation Strategy which can be found on the DFID website at www.dfid.gov.uk

Mines

Norman Lamb: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development in which countries, and to what purposes, the UN's Mine Action Service are putting their most recent allocation of funds from the Department.

Hilary Benn: Pursuant to my written answer of 10 June 2003, Official Report, column 773W, I apologise for an error in the data given. The amount allocated to Mine Action in Sudan was £1,133,333 not £2,333,333 as originally stated. The following table gives the corrected figure.
	The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) has allocated funds provided by DFID during the past and current financial year to country programmes, as follows:
	
		
			 Country Amount (£) Purpose 
		
		
			 Sudan 161,573 Demining Nuba mountains 
			 Sudan 65,333 Mine action co-ordination 
			 Sudan 1,133,333 Mine action centres 
			 Kosovo 171,760 Demining teams 
			 Eritrea 45,000 Mine survey 
			 Afghanistan 4,800,000 Demining 
			 Iraq 4,000,000 Demining 
			 Eritrea/Ethiopia 35,000 Mine action co-ordination 
			 DR Congo 65,333 Mine action co-ordination 
			 S. Lebanon 133,333 Mine action centre

Pakistan

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what progress has been made with the Department's support for tuberculosis (a) vaccination and (b) treatment in Pakistan.

Hilary Benn: DFID has just agreed a new 4-year DFID initiative to improve the health of poor people in Pakistan. The national health and population welfare facility (NHF) will support the Government of Pakistan's efforts to achieve the ambitious targets set-out in the national health and population policies and in the interim-poverty reduction strategy paper. The achievement of these targets includes the strengthening of the directly observed treatment schedule (DOTS) for treatment of tuberculosis through the national tuberculosis programme. The NHF will provide (a) £60 million budget support to national health and population programmes, one of which is the national tuberculosis programme and (b) provide technical assistance to improve policy making and programme management.
	The NHF will commence in March 2003, with the first disbursement of financial aid planned for August 2003.

Departmental Research Budget

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what percentage of the research budget was spent on evaluation in (a) 2001 and (b) 2002; and what percentage is planned to be spent in 2003.

Hilary Benn: The programme of evaluations commissioned by DFID's Evaluation Department is independent of DFID's other programme activities and is funded from a separate budget line. The following figures relate only to evaluation activities managed by Evaluation Department. However, other evaluation activities are undertaken within DFID, including those within bilateral and multilateral programmes and within policy and research programmes. Since spending on these decentralised evaluation activities is charged in each case against the budget for the relevant programme, expenditure is spread across DFID's overall budget. Consequently, expenditure figures for these activities are not readily available and could not be accurately identified without disproportionate cost. Similarly, expenditure on research has been spread across a range of programmes and annual totals are difficult to estimate. It is therefore difficult to compare expenditure on research and on evaluation respectively, and the cost of doing so would be disproportionate.
	Evaluation Department's actual expenditure (including administration costs) in the calendar years 2001 and 2002, and its estimate for expenditure in 2003 (including administration costs), is as follows:
	
		Evaluation expenditure
		
			  Amount (£ million) 
		
		
			 2001 0.913 
			 2002 1.877 
			 2003 2.402 
		
	
	The actual and anticipated expenditure, including administration costs, expressed in financial years is:
	
		Actual and anticipated expenditure
		
			 Financial year Amount (£ million) 
		
		
			 2001–02 1.413 
			 2002–03 1.838 
			 2003–04 (estimated) 2.440

Sudan

Norman Lamb: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development pursuant to his answer of 11 June 2003, Official Report, column 773W, on UN Mine Action Service, if he will provide a breakdown of (a) objectives, (b) locations and (c) costs of mine action centres in Sudan funded by the Department; if he will list organisations which are receiving resources from the Department to carry out humanitarian demining in Sudan; if he will list the Department's humanitarian priorities for mine action in Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: DFID has provided £1.4 million for mine action in Sudan since April 2002. To date this support has been channelled through the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), as the UN agency responsible for the co-ordination of mine action in Sudan. UNMAS' current objectives are to support the establishment of a working and appropriate national mine action management structure, as well as to support the systematic reduction of the threat of landmines and unexploded ordinance by a process of identification, isolation and clearance. Specific UNMAS activities, including those supported by DFID, have consisted of mine clearance of major roads in the Nuba Mountains region; cross-line training and capacity building for Sudanese de-miners; technical survey work; support for co-ordination activities; and planning for future mine action activities in the event of peace. Mine action throughout Sudan, particularly southern Sudan, will be a priority following a peace agreement to enable both increased access for humanitarian aid organisations and increased delivery of humanitarian assistance, as well as to allow displaced populations to return.

Support Recipients

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development to which countries the Department has supplied budget support; how much each country has received; and what percentage of the total received by these countries from the Department took the form of budget support in each year since 2000.

Hilary Benn: Expenditure on budget support was not collected separately in our central systems until fairly recently. However a special exercise was conducted earlier this year to identify such expenditure and the results are given in the following table. These should be treated as estimates as coverage may be incomplete.
	
		Estimated expenditure on budget support (£ million) and as percentage of total support
		
			  £ million Percentage of total 
			 Country 2000–01 2000–01 2001–02 2001–02 2002–03 2002–03 
		
		
			 Afghanistan — — — — 12.7 17 
			 Bolivia — — 5.6 44 1.3 14 
			 East Timor — — — — 4 61 
			 Ghana 47.6 65 32.2 59 11.5 20 
			 Guyana 0.2 1 0.3 2 0.3 2 
			 India — — 65 35 — — 
			 Kenya 15 29 — — — — 
			 Macedonia — — 3 37 — — 
			 Malawi 30 53 17.5 38 — — 
			 Montserrat 5.7 28 5.1 21 7.5 32 
			 Mozambique 10 24 10.6 26 10.4 27 
			 Pakistan — — 20 46 11 29 
			 Rwanda 25.4 77 18.6 68 22 68 
			 Serbia 3.4 22 7 60 — — 
			 Sierra Leone 16.5 47 19.6 53 10 30 
			 St. Helena 6 60 5.9 60 5.9 63 
			 Tanzania 40.6 59 35.7 55 45.1 47 
			 Uganda 60 69 37 54 23.5 43 
			 Vietnam — — 7 43 7 40 
			 Zambia 15 27 — — 7.6 19 
			  275.4 38 290.1 39 179.9 22

Sustainable Development

Roger Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what remit relating to sustainable development is required by the Department's (a) executive agencies, (b) advisory non-departmental bodies, (c) executive non-departmental bodies, (d) tribunals, (e) public corporations and (f) other bodies.

Hilary Benn: DFID is not responsible for any Executive Agencies, advisory or executive non-departmental bodies or tribunals. It is however responsible for CDC Group plc, a self-financing public corporation which it wholly owns.
	In 1999, DFID established an Investment Policy to which CDC Group plc must work. This involves using its capital so as to maximize the creation and long-term growth of viable businesses in poorer developing countries through responsible investment and by mobilising private finance.
	It requires the company to seek best practice in the areas of personal and corporate integrity, social issues (including the prohibition of child or forced labour and of discriminatory practices), environmental standards, Health and Safety, transparency and compliance with laws and fiscal requirements. It also forbids any investment in businesses dealing with military and nuclear products, illegal drugs, gambling, pornography or tobacco.

Voluntary Organisations

Charles Hendry: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what funding programmes are operated by the Department to support voluntary organisations working with young people; and what the level of support has been in each of the last three years.

Hilary Benn: There is no DFID funding solely targeted at voluntary organisations working with young people. However, we do provide substantial funding to a wide variety of voluntary organisations; in 2001–02 (the latest year for which figures are available) DFID provided £190.5 million in support of development programmes managed by 125 different such organisations. Many of the activities supported do directly benefit young people.

World Food Programme

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what the main aims are of the Department's representative on the World Food Programme Executive Board; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The main aims of the United Kingdom's Representative on the Executive Board of the World Food Programme (WFP) are to promote (a) the effective and appropriate delivery of food aid to developing countries, particularly in emergency situations; (b) the effective accountability and governance of WFP; and (c) a coordinated and complementary role for WFP within the international humanitarian and development assistance systems.
	The United Kingdom Representative to WFP, Mr. Anthony Beattie, is the President of the WFP Executive Board in 2003.

Zimbabwe

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development 
	(1)  if he will list the dates of the suspension of long-term development aid projects the Department supported in Zimbabwe;
	(2)  what financial resources the Department has allocated to Zimbabwe Police Organisational Development since 1997; how they were spent; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what the sterling value was of Land Rover Defenders was exported to the Zimbabwe Republic Police by the Department; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how many Land Rover Defenders were exported for use by the Zimbabwe Republic Police as part of a development project supported by the Department between 1997 and 2002;
	(5)  what assurances the Government received from the Government of Zimbabwe about the use of the Land Rover Defenders exported for use by the Zimbabwe Republic Police; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: Two DFID projects, both in support the Republic of Zimbabwe Police, were suspended in April 2000 given concern about political activities and lack of respect for the law by the police. Both projects have since been closed.
	The £6.438 million Zimbabwe Police Organisational Development project was agreed in 1996, but only £1.817 million was spent by its closure. The Police Land Rovers project was approved in 1997, and was one of the last commitments under the old Aid and Trade Provision, which has also since been wound up. The commitment to purchase 1,500 Land Rovers involved a DFID grant of £8.4 million. 1,030 land rovers were provided, and £6 million spent.
	The Zimbabwe Government made a commitment in the grant agreement to uphold their service charter—in particular with due respect for human rights and the minimum use of force—and not to use the vehicles for the control of demonstrations and riots. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Birmingham, Ladywood (Clare Short), as Secretary of State for International Development, made the decision in April 2000 to suspend the project given concern, expressed to the Zimbabwean Commissioner of Police and the Home Minister, at the use of the vehicles in heavy-handed police response to civil demonstrations and failure of the police to uphold the law in relation to farm occupations from 2000. We remain deeply concerned at the partisan action by the police force, selective application of the law, and lack of respect for civil and human rights in Zimbabwe.

DEFENCE

Atomic Weapons Establishment

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the recruitment of scientists at the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston.

Ivor Caplin: As with every organisation, there is an ongoing need at the Atomic Weapons Establishment to maintain and improve the expertise of its workforce. The recruitment of graduate scientists is vital to the Company if it is to sustain its high technical expertise in the nuclear technology field. The Government attach great importance to ensuring the safety and serviceability of the UK's nuclear weapons. The Strategic Defence Review of 1998 confirmed the need for a robust capability to underwrite the safety and reliability of Trident, in the absence of nuclear testing and to maintain a minimum capability to design and produce a successor to Trident should this prove necessary. To achieve this assurance with great confidence and to meet the SDR remit, AWE must continue to recruit new staff to maintain a viable capability.

Armed Forces

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 16 June, Official Report, column 52W, on armed forces funding, whether it is his policy that allocated funding should be retained by the armed forces if there is a shortfall in numbers of servicemen.

Adam Ingram: Ministry of Defence top level budget holders are allowed to reallocate resources within their annual budgetary allocations to best meet agreed outputs, subject to some restrictions on, for example, movements between Capital and Resource Expenditure. Budgetary allocations are revisited on an annual basis to ensure plans match available resources and any surplus funding on personnel costs that might exist would be reallocated to better achieve overall defence objectives.

Foreign Forces Training

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many British Army training teams are employed abroad training the foreign military forces; where they are located; and how many personnel are employed for this purpose;
	(2)  how many foreign military forces have been trained by British Army training teams; if he will make a statement on the training teams' effectiveness; and if he plans to increase the numbers of teams.

Adam Ingram: I will write to my hon. Friend and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Infantry Deployment

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) strength and (b) establishment is of each infantry regiment.

Adam Ingram: The overall infantry strength and establishment are 25,460 and 26,200 respectively. Army personnel statistics relating to individual regiments are being updated and a statistical analysis of each infantry regiment is not readily available. Officials are compiling these statistics and a copy of the report will be placed in the Library of the House.

Maintenance Costs

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many contracts the Ministry of Defence and its agencies have with outside contractors for the maintenance of Ministry of Defence equipment;
	(2)  how many contracts the Ministry of Defence and its agencies have with outside contractors for the maintenance of Ministry of Defence (a) IT equipment and (b) establishments.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence places on average around 40,000 contracts per year. The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Iraq

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many short or medium range ballistic missiles capable of being fired at ranges (a) no greater than 150km and (b) greater than 150km have been identified as having been launched by Iraqi forces during the recent conflict.

Adam Ingram: We currently assess that 20 ballistic missiles were launched by Iraqi forces during the recent conflict. Of these, we assess that three were capable of being fired at ranges no greater that 150km and 13 were capable of being fired at ranges greater than 150km. No firm assessments have yet been made in respect of the potential ranges of four of the ballistic missiles.

Iraq

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many persons (a) with knowledge of the Iraqi short or medium range missile programmes, (b) who have been involved with such programmes and (c) who were in command positions with units possessing such missiles during the recent conflict have been (i) detained for questioning and (ii) held as prisoners of war by (A) the United Kingdom and (B) other Coalition forces.

Adam Ingram: Coalition forces are currently investigating Iraq's programmes to develop weapons of mass destruction, including ballistic missiles with proscribed ranges. These investigations will include debriefing of Iraqi prisoners of war, interviews with senior regime figures and information from other Iraqi military and civilian sources. The breadth of such contacts means that it is not possible to quantify the numbers of interviews on this subject to date. At the appropriate time, we will make the evidence public.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when British WMD inspectors visited the Rashad chemical and biological research facility in Iraq; and what they found.

Geoff Hoon: British inspectors have not visited the Rashad chemical and biological research facility in Iraq. We assess that this facility was demolished by the Iraqi authorities in the early 1980s when they relocated their research to purpose built facilities.

Iraq

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the risk that biological weapons formerly possessed by the government of Saddam Hussein may have (a) left Iraq or (b) come into the possession of terrorist groups.

Geoff Hoon: The potential proliferation of materials and technology related to Iraqi programmes to develop weapons of mass destruction, including biological weapons, remains a matter of concern. Coalition forces continue to take action to secure sites, equipment, and material which may relate to WMD programmes, or which may otherwise contain hazardous substances, within the overall aim of restoring security and stability to Iraq. Our long term aim will be to account for, and eliminate, any WMD capability, including any biological weapons. We are confident that further evidence of Iraq's WMD programmes will be uncovered. At the appropriate time, we will make the evidence public.

Desert Equipment

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what evaluation his Department has made of the quality of the desert boots and uniforms supplied for the war in Iraq; what representations he has received about the quality of desert boots and uniforms; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The desert boots and uniforms procured under Urgent Operational Requirement procedures for the war in Iraq had been tested, subjected to 'consumer' trials, and procured to a high quality and reliability standard.
	I am aware that there have been numerous unofficial and, as yet, unsubstantiated comments about the robustness of desert combat clothing issued to the United Kingdom armed forces serving on operations in Iraq. To date, we have had no reports through the official defect reporting system of any sub-standard items.

RAF Manoeuvres

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 13 June 2003, Official Report, column 114W, on RAF manoeuvres, whether it is his policy to allow RAF aircraft to fly low over South East Essex on a regular basis.

Ivor Caplin: It is Ministry of Defence policy that, in principle, the whole of the United Kingdom is open to essential military low flying training in order to spread the disturbance it can cause as thinly as possible. South East Essex, however, largely falls within an area known as the Thames Valley Avoidance Area (TVAA). The TVAA is excluded from routine military low flying because of the amount of controlled airspace associated with the London Airports, and the proximity of major built-up areas.
	Military low flying aircraft may still enter the TVAA on occasion, but these events will usually be limited to: helicopters conducting transit flights, helicopters conducting search and rescue training over water in the area of the Thames Estuary, or flights individually cleared by MOD Head Office. A small number of such clearances are granted each year, usually for flypasts in support of major state or ceremonial events.
	General information on military low flying is available to the public on the website www.mod.uk/issues/lowflying and in a leaflet entitled "Military Low Flying—An Essential Skill", that may be obtained by telephoning 020 7218 6020.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Appointments

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the people appointed to ad hoc posts within his Department bearing the titles of advocate, tsar, adviser, champion and comparable titles since May 1997; what their job title is or was; what their role is or was; whether they were or are being paid; what the total cost of each such person was in each financial year, including expenses and benefits; what the expected cost of each such person is in 2003–04; to whom they are accountable; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Clarke: Since 1997, my Department has employed Special Advisers or Unpaid Advisers, as defined in paragraphs 50 and 51 of the Ministerial Special Code. The names are listed below:
	David Blunkett
	Conor Ryan
	Sophie Linden
	Lisa Barclay
	Hilary Benn
	Tom Bentley
	Leala Padmanabhan
	Tom Engel
	Nick Pearce
	Estelle Morris
	Will Cavendish
	Chris Boffey
	Charles Clarke
	Lisa Tremble
	Robert Hill
	The Special Adviser role within the Department was/is to advise the Secretary of State. Remuneration are not disclosed in order to protect the privacy of the individual concerned, and exemption 12 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information applies. The unpaid adviser from the above list was Leala Padmanabhan.

Child Care

David Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many child care places were available in Brighton and Hove in each year since 1996–97.

Margaret Hodge: The available information for Brighton and Hove local authority is shown in the table.
	Figures for 2001 and earlier years for England and Government Office regions were published in DfES Statistical Bulletin 08/01, "Children's Day Care Facilities at 31 March 2001", which is available in the Library and on the DfES website: www.dfes.gov.uk/statistics.
	
		Numbers of day care places(11) by type of provider Brighton and Hove local authority area 1998–2001
		
			 Position at 31 March each year 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			  
			  
			 Day nurseries (12)— 1,900 1,800 2,100 
			 Playgroups and pre-schools 1,100 1,100 1,000 1,000 
			 Childminders 1,000 1,000 920 880 
			 Out of school clubs 240 320 360 480 
			 Holiday schemes(13) 1,500 1,800 4,100 7,400 
		
	
	(11) Figures have been rounded
	(12) Day nursery figures for 1998 are not available
	(13) Some of the difference between 1998 and 1999 may be due to additional guidance given to data providers in 1999

Class Sizes

George Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children were in classes of 31 or more in (a) infant and (b) primary schools in Stoke-on-Trent in each year since 1996–97.

Stephen Twigg: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Maintained primary schools: Stoke-on-Trent local education authority
		
			  Number of pupils in classes of 31 or moretaught by one teacher 
			 January Key stage 1 Total primary 
		
		
			 1997(14) 11,254 31,492 
			 1998(15) 2,525 7,465 
			 1999(15) 2,224 6,689 
			 2000(15) 750 4,909 
			 2001(15) 162 4,037 
			 2002(15) 62 2,648 
			 2003(15),(16),(17) 282 2,284 
		
	
	(14) Before local government reorganisation. Prior to 1998 Stoke-on-Trent was included with Staffordshire.
	(15) After local government reorganisation. Figures from 1998 onwards are not directly comparable to those for 1997.
	(16) The Key stage 1 total relates to 9 classes and each of these classes contained children who were exceptions permitted by legislation. These permitted exceptions resulted in a class of more than 30.
	(17) Provisional. Final figures will be published in September 2003.
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census

Class Sizes

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent representations he has received regarding school class sizes.

Stephen Twigg: There have been no recent substantial representations made to this Department regarding school class sizes, although during the last quarter, we received 18 letters, mainly from parents, relating to various class size issues.

Departmental Accountants

Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many qualified accountants are employed in (a) the School and LEA Funding Division of his Department and (b) his Department in total.

Charles Clarke: My Department employs 33 qualified accountants, of whom one is currently employed within School and LEA Funding Division. Some of the remainder are employed in a central accountancy team whose expertise can be drawn on as needed by Divisions across the Department.

Excluded Pupils

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will place in the Library the results of the survey his Department conducted in 2002 into the arrangements each local education authority has in place to provide full-time education to excluded pupils.

Ivan Lewis: The information received from LEAs about the education of permanently excluded pupils in response to a survey in spring 2002 was not sufficiently robust to provide a reliable picture of the type of education provision they received. Eight LEAs did not reply, and those who did used different methodologies to calculate their figures, some of which were incomplete. Some also expressed concern about the reliability of their own returns. For this reason I do not intend to place the results of this survey in the House of Commons Library.
	However, all local education authorities confirmed that they were able to achieve the target of providing full-time education for all permanently excluded pupils by September 2002 and all but two currently report that they are sustaining such provision.

Excluded Pupils

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of children excluded from school are receiving their statutory entitlement to education following exclusion.

Ivan Lewis: There is no specific statutory entitlement to education following exclusion. However, the Government made a commitment to secure full-time education for all permanently excluded pupils by September 2002. All local education authorities confirmed that they were able to achieve that target and all but two currently report that they are sustaining such provision. In addition, Behaviour Improvement Programme LEAs are committed to providing full-time education for pupils temporarily excluded from target schools.

Individual Learning Accounts

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many learning providers have been paid compensation following the Ombudsman's report into the closure of the ILA scheme; what the timetable is for payment; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: As a result of the Ombudsman's report in response to a complaint by a learning provider, the Department has fully reimbursed that provider in respect of loss of income caused as a result of difficulties in booking learners onto the Individual Learning Account system.
	The Department is in the process of contacting other learning providers who may have been similarly disadvantaged. This process will have been completed by early July.
	The timetable for completing the whole exercise depends on the volume and complexity of the claims received and the issues they raise and all claims will be subject to validation checks. It is important that Government Accounting requirements are met.

Mental Health

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions he has had with the Department for Work and Pensions on help for people suffering from mental health problems at the interface between education and work.

Ivan Lewis: No specific discussions have been held on this issue between Ministers of the two Departments. However, both Departments are involved with the Mental Health and Social Exclusion project being led by the Government's Social Exclusion Unit. The project is looking at how to improve rates of employment for those aged 16–65 with mental health problems, through support in taking up and retaining work. It is also looking at how to promote greater social participation and better access to services for this group.
	The issue is also considered when taking forward other relevant policies. For instance we have developed the Connexions Service in partnership with a range of other Departments including the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health, which of course leads on mental health policy. The Connexions Service plays an important role in ensuring all 13–19 year olds, including those with mental health issues, get the support they need to overcome barriers to participation in learning and employment. We have recently published an 'emerging practice' guide for Connexions Partnerships setting out learning from a pilot project on providing support to young people with mental health problems.
	The Learning and Skills Council, which has responsibility for planning and funding of post-16 education and training, including work-based training, also works in partnership with colleagues in the DWP. It is undertaking a programme of action research projects and development work that includes work on promoting access to employment for people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and also on the development of inclusive provision for learners with mental health problems. They have also published a National Institute of Adult Continuing Education briefing sheet for their staff, "Learning and Skills for People Experiencing Mental Health Difficulties". This sets out considerations for local LSCs to take into account in ensuring there is suitable provision for those with mental health difficulties.

Pupil Attainment

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will assess the effectiveness of Express Groups on pupil attainment in schools in former coalfields areas.

Ivan Lewis: This Department published a report on "Raising Attainment in the Former Coalfield Areas" on 29 May 2003. The report highlighted the positive effect of 'Express Groups' on pupil attainment in these areas, alongside a number of other strategies.
	This Department is now considering how best to convey these findings to other schools in the former coalfield areas.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of fraud or financial irregularities in the use of UK funds to combat the opium trade in Afghanistan.

Bill Rammell: We receive reports on all aspects of efforts to combat the opium trade in Afghanistan and are aware of suggestions that UK funds for counter drugs work in Afghanistan may have been misused. The Government take all reasonable measures to guard against fraud and financial irregularity in the use of public funds. All public expenditure, including that in respect of counter drugs work in Afghanistan, is subject to the established scrutiny procedures of parliamentary committees and the National Audit Office.

Council of Ministers

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times the UK has exercised its veto in the EU Council of Ministers in each year since 1997.

Denis MacShane: Neither the EU's Council Secretariat nor Her Majesty's Government keeps records of legislative proposals which are blocked by member states under unanimity. Our policy is to shape the EU's agenda and legislation in line with UK interests from the outset, rather than to block it at a later stage.

Council of Ministers

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many decisions in the EU Council of Ministers have been taken by qualified majority voting in the past two years; and in how many cases the UK was in a minority.

Denis MacShane: Voting information from May 2003 onward has not yet been published. From May 2001 to April 2003, the Council took 265 decisions by qualified majority voting. The UK was in a minority on three of these and abstained on eight. This information is displayed on the Council Secretariat website at http://register.consilium.eu.int/isoregister/frames/introacfsEN. htm

Diplomatic Posts (UK Products)

George Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK overseas embassies and consulates are using pottery products manufactured in the UK.

Bill Rammell: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. We do not maintain central records on the use of pottery products.

European Convention

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the European Convention (a) concluded its deliberations and (b) delivered its report on the proposed European Constitution; and to whom.

Denis MacShane: The Convention concluded its deliberations on Parts I, II and IV of the draft Constitutional Treaty on 13 June 2003. That text was presented to the European Council at Thessaloniki, on 20 June 2003, by the Convention's President, Valery Giscard d'Estaing.
	As the European Council conclusions note:
	"the European Council considers that the presentation of the Draft Constitutional Treaty, as it has received it, marks the completion of the Convention's tasks as set out at Laeken and, accordingly, the end of its work. However, some purely technical work on drafting Part III is still required, this work needing to be finished by 15 July at the latest.".

European Convention

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what legal authority the Convention relied for the preparation of the proposed European Constitution.

Denis MacShane: The European Council at Laeken in December 2001 noted the need for the Union to undergo renewal and reform to face the challenges of the future. It established the Convention:
	"to consider the key issues arising for the Union's future development and try to identify the various possible responses".
	In its mandate, the European Council noted the need to simplify the treaties and asked the Convention to consider whether:
	"this simplification and reorganisation might not lead ... to the adoption of a constitutional text in the Union".
	The Convention's consideration of this and other key issues identified at Laeken led to the drawing up of the draft Constitution, which will provide a good basis for starting discussions in the Intergovernmental Conference.

European Convention

William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Convention has (a) voted for and (b) formally agreed to a final text in the proposed European Constitution; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The Convention concluded its deliberations on Part I, II and IV of the draft Constitutional Treaty on the basis of consensus, rather than voting. The final text was presented to the European Council by the Convention President, Valery Giscard d'Estaing. Leaders agreed that the text:
	"is a good basis for starting in the Intergovernmental Conference".
	There was also agreement that:
	"some purely technical work on drafting Part III is still required, this work needing to be finished by 15 July at the latest".

G8 Declaration (Nuclear Non-proliferation)

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what additional resources he intends to commit to provide support and advance the International Atomic Energy Agency to improve the security of radioactive sources, as set out in paragraph 6 of the Evian G8 Declaration on Non-proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction: Securing Radioactive Sources, of 3 June 2003.

Denis MacShane: The UK is a strong supporter of the International Atomic Energy Agency and its work, including on the safety and security of nuclear and radioactive materials. In March 2002, the UK announced a voluntary contribution of £250,000 towards the IAEA's Nuclear Security Fund (NSF) for work in Russia and the Former Soviet Union. We have since announced an additional £250,000 per year for the next two years, bringing our total additional voluntary contribution to £750,000. We are also supporting the IAEA's programmes in other ways, including active participation in the revision of the IAEA Code Of Conduct On The Safety And Security Of Radioactive Sources and the provision of UK expertise where appropriate.

G8 Declaration (Nuclear Non-proliferation)

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on developments in the Russian plutonium disposition programme being funded under the G8 Global Partnership against the spread of weapons and materials of mass destruction; how much of the United Kingdom pledge of $750 million has been spent; and for what projects it is earmarked in future.

Denis MacShane: The United Kingdom supports the Plutonium Disposition Programme and has committed £70 million over 10 years to its completion. We are participating fully in the negotiations on how best to implement this US/Russia-led project.
	In 2002–03, we spent approximately £15 million as part of our G8 Global Partnership commitment, and in 2003–04, we anticipate spending some £33 million. Our current project plans include the dismantling of nuclear submarines, making safe spent nuclear fuel, finding sustainable employment for former weapons scientists, improving nuclear safety and security of nuclear materials, decommissioning a reactor in Kazakhstan, contributing to a shelter at Chernobyl, and chemical weapons destruction. We will negotiate further projects with Russia in due course, as part of this 10-year programme.

Gulf Co-operation Council

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage co-operation between Gulf Co-operation Council countries and (a) the UK and (b) the EU.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 20 June 2003
	The UK has strong bilateral relations with the six countries of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC). In 2003 alone my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has had meetings with Prince Saud of Saudi Arabia, the Emirs of Kuwait and Qatar, and the Crown Princes of Bahrain and Abu Dhabi. He will see the Sultan of Oman in July. Our Embassy in Riyadh has regular contact with the GCC Secretariat on a wide range of issues and the Secretary-General of the GCC visited the UK in July 2002. The EU and GCC meet annually at ministerial level to discuss a range of issues. These include trade, investment and implementation of the EU-GCC Co-operation Agreement. We are discussing the establishment of a Commission Delegation in Riyadh and hope to conclude negotiations on a free trade area with the GCC. At the last Ministerial in March 2003 the EU and the GCC resolved to develop a political dialogue.

Iran

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on relations with Iran.

Bill Rammell: We pursue a twin-track approach of constructive but conditional engagement with Iran. We support reform while continuing a robust dialogue on matters of concern such as human rights and weapons of mass destruction. We support the conclusion of the 16 June 2003 EU General Affairs Council that:
	"progress in these matters [of concern] and strengthened dialogue and cooperation are interdependent, essential and mutually reinforcing elements of EU-Iran relations".

Iraq

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what instructions were given by the Coalition to British troops in Iraq regarding the need to secure those sites identified by the Coalition as key in the search for weapons of mass destruction.

Geoff Hoon: I have been asked to reply.
	United Kingdom Commanders in Iraq were instructed to provide support, as appropriate, to efforts to investigate sites which may be related to programmes to develop weapons of mass destruction. UK Commanders have further been instructed to secure possible chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear hazards, with the aim of making their areas of operations safe for military forces and civilians.

Iraq

Phil Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure the implementation of the UN General Assembly resolution 57/232 to deploy human rights monitors in Iraq.

Bill Rammell: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Crosby (Mrs. Curtis-Thomas) on 20 June 2003, Official Report, column 471W.

Iraq

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure the implementation of UN General Assembly Resolution 57/232 to deploy human rights monitors in Iraq.

Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Crosby (Mrs. Curtis-Thomas) on 20 June 2003, Official Report, column 471W.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason Mr. John Sawers has been withdrawn from Iraq; and if he will make a statement on the role to be played by Sir Jeremy Greenstock in Iraq.

Bill Rammell: John Sawers is shortly leaving Iraq to take up a new appointment as Political Director in the FCO.
	Sir Jeremy Greenstock will take up his appointment in September 2003 following the completion of his Diplomatic Service posting as Ambassador at the United Nations.
	The appointment of such a senior and experienced diplomat shows the strength of our continuing commitment to Iraq.
	Sir Jeremy will report to my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary and other Ministers as necessary. His main role will be to contribute to and support the political process leading to the establishment of a representative Iraqi Government under the terms of SCR 1483. He will work closely with leading Iraqi representatives, the Coalition Provisional Authority, the UN and other representatives of the international community.

France

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK citizens employed as lorry drivers were arrested and detained in France and then subsequently released in each year since 1997.

Chris Mullin: We keep no such statistics. To provide the information requested would incur disproportionate costs.

Palestine

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Palestinian Authority over the indoctrination of Palestinian children into suicide bombing, through television and music broadcasts, school books, and speeches by Palestinian Authority leaders; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We have made clear to the Palestinian Authority the importance of preventing incitement to violence in all areas of Palestinian society, and we welcome Palestinian Prime Minister Abbas' undertaking at Aqaba to act against incitement. The NGO Israel/Palestine Centre for Research and Information has recently completed an evaluation of new Palestinian educational textbooks introduced in recent years. It concludes that there have been improvements in content, and that the new textbooks do not incite against Israel or against peace. We continue to encourage such developments, and to support both the Palestinian Authority and Israel as they implement the roadmap, which includes clear obligations on both parties to end incitement against the other. We call on leaders and opinion-formers on both sides to set the standard and exercise judgment in their public statements.

Muslim Association of Britain

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received about leading members of the Muslim Association of Britain having links with Hamas.

Denis MacShane: holding answer 23 June 2003
	We are not aware of any links between the Muslim Association of Britain and Hamas, although we keep the activities of Hamas under constant review.

Performance Targets

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the performance targets that (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies are required to meet; and if he will specify for each target (i) who sets it and (ii) who monitors achievements against it.

Bill Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's key performance targets are contained in its Public Service Agreements (PSA) for SR2000 (2001–04) and SR2002 (2003–06). The text of these agreements are contained in "Spending Review 2000: Public Service Agreements 2001–2004" (Cm 4808, July 2000) and "Spending Review 2002: Public Service Agreement targets 2003–2006" (Cm5571, July 2002).
	Progress against the FCO's PSA targets is monitored by the FCO, using a combination of internally-generated management information, and through a series of scorecard measures agreed with HM Treasury. Annual performance is reported in the FCO's Departmental Report.
	The following public bodies sponsored by the FCO have performance targets:
	BBC World Service (including BBC Monitoring) (public corporation)
	Targets for the BBC World Service are included in the FCO's PSAs, scorecards to the FCO's PSAs, and in the BBC World Service's annual report on output and performance measures. Targets are set by the FCO in consultation with the World Service. Progress is monitored by the FCO.
	Targets for BBC Monitoring are set out in scorecards to the FCO's SDA. Additional key performance indicators/targets are set out in BBC Monitoring's corporate plan. These key performance indicators and targets are set by the FCO and other stakeholders in BBC Monitoring (Ministry of Defence, Cabinet Office and BBC World Service) in consultation with BBC Monitoring, and achievement is monitored by the stakeholders.
	British Association for Central and Eastern Europe (executive non-departmental public body)
	Performance targets for the British Association for Central and Eastern Europe are set out in its Corporate Plan. The Corporate Plan, proposed by the association, is agreed and monitored by its Governing Body. British Council (executive non-departmental public body)
	The British Council's annual corporate plan summarises the British Council's key operational and financial targets for the year. Progress against its targets is monitored by the British Council and the FCO.
	The Great Britain-China Centre (executive non-departmental public body)
	The Great Britain-China Centre has annual objectives which are included in its corporate plan. These objectives are set and progress against them monitored by the Great Britain-China Centre board in conjunction with the FCO.
	Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission (advisory non-departmental public body)
	The Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission's corporate plan contains annual performance targets. The plan is approved, and progress against its targets monitored, by the FCO.
	Westminster Foundation for Democracy (executive non-departmental public body)
	The Westminster Foundation for Democracy's performance targets are set through a consultative process between the FCO and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy's executive and board. Progress against targets is formally monitored quarterly by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy's board, which is attended by the FCO.
	Wilton Park (Executive Agency)
	A target for percentage of respondents who rate Wilton Park's conference programmes highly is set out in a scorecard to the FCO's SR2000 PSA. A number of additional targets for Wilton Park are incorporated into Wilton Park's Corporate Plan and information on its performance against them is in its annual report. These additional targets are set by the FCO-led Wilton Park Departmental Board, in consultation with Wilton Park, and achievement is monitored by the Departmental Board annually.
	Wilton Park Academic Council (advisory non-departmental public body)
	The Wilton Park Academic Council is required to endorse Wilton Park's contribution to the promotion of understanding and the solution of global problems and it produces an annual report on its work.
	Britain-Russia Centre
	The Britain-Russian Centre ceased to be an FCO executive non-departmental public body on 1 April 2003.

Performance Targets

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the Public Service Agreement targets for his Department which have been (a) revised and (b) introduced since the publication of the 2002 Departmental Report.

Bill Rammell: The FCO agreed a new set of PSA targets for 2003–04 to 2005–06 under the 2002 Spending Review (SR2002). These targets were set out in the White Paper, "Spending Review 2002: Public Service Agreement Targets 2003–06" (Cm5571, July 2002). They came into effect in April 2003.
	The table at Appendix K (pages 183–87) in the FCO's 2003 Departmental Report shows the relationship between the FCO's SR2002 and SR2000 PSA targets.

President Putin

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the programme for the state visit of President Putin; and for what reason special events for members of both Houses have not been included in the programme.

Bill Rammell: As with all state visits, the programme is a mixture of traditional ceremonial, cultural and substantive elements. Members of both Houses are involved. President Putin will meet my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister for lunch and talks: as is customary he will also meet the leaders of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Parties. Members of both Houses are also participating in the Banquets associated with the visit.

United States

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the US Government about fund-raising activities in the USA carried out (a) by and (b) on behalf of proscribed organisations in Northern Ireland.

Denis MacShane: None. The US has taken steps against all Northern Ireland terrorist organisations the UK Government has specified as not being on ceasefire. These organisations are also proscribed in the UK under the Terrorism Act 2000.

UN Security Council Resolutions

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what procedures are in place whereby the legality of Resolution 1422 of the UN Security Council may be judicially determined.

Bill Rammell: The Government are not aware of any means by which a binding judicial decision by an international tribunal on the legality of Resolution 1422 could be made. In certain circumstances the International Court of Justice may give advisory opinions, but these are not binding. The Government have no doubt as to the legality of Resolutions 1422 and 1487.

Zimbabwe

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the British High Commissioner in Harare about the situation in Zimbabwe; and what recent assessment he has made of the political situation there.

Chris Mullin: The high commissioner and his staff are in daily contact with the FCO about the political, economic and humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe.
	The political situation remains tense. MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai is facing two charges of treason. Other opposition figures have been arrested, harassed and intimidated. Responsibility for the present state of Zimbabwe lies squarely with its present government.

Zimbabwe

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken within the United Nations to ensure that action is taken to end the crisis in Zimbabwe.

Chris Mullin: We maintain regular contact with the UN Secretary General, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Food Programme (WFP) about Zimbabwe. We supported EU resolutions on Zimbabwe at the UN Human Rights Commission in 2002 and 2003. We will continue to encourage the UN to focus on the crisis in Zimbabwe.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Asbestos

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what actions his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies are taking to comply with the requirements of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002; whether he has made an estimate of the cost of compliance; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments, together with their Agencies and NDPBs, have been complying with the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002. Work is on-going to identify where asbestos is present, to assess the risk and to take action to manage such a risk.
	The total cost of compliance has not yet been determined as much survey and inspection work is on-going.

Civil Service

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many posts in the Northern Ireland civil service have been publicly advertised since 14 October 2002 for which Irish nationals have been ineligible.

Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 11 June 2003, Official Report, column 953W.

Civil Service

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to implement the recommendations of the Senior Civil Service Review Team on nationality restrictions.

Ian Pearson: The consultation document which was issued following the review noted that the UK Government are committed in principle to introduce legislation to modernise the nationality rules, subject to the availability of parliamentary time. This remains the position.

Education and Library Boards

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money has been allocated by the Department of Education in each of the last five years to Education and Library Boards in Northern Ireland to address the requirements of those who suffer from autism.

Jane Kennedy: The Department of Education gives Education and Library Boards a block grant each year from which they fund the various services they provide. Within their block grant Boards establish their own spending priorities and this includes their spending on Special Educational provision. Special Education Budgets do not specify expenditure on particular areas of Special Educational Need and for this reason, it is not possible separately to identify funding allocations for provision for children with Autism.
	Children with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder can receive appropriate provision in Special Schools, Units or mainstream schools. Support in mainstream schools can include classroom assistance, support from ASD Advisory Officers or specialist peripatetic teacher support.

Education and Library Boards

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which Education and Library Boards use the Applied Behaviour Analysis Scheme for teaching autistic children; and how many children suffer from autism in each Education and Library Board.

Jane Kennedy: The Education and Library Boards support pupils with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder using a range of methods. These will include aspects of ABA (Applied Behavioural Analysis), TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic Children and those with related Communications Handicaps) and PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System).
	All Educational Psychologists are trained in ABA techniques as part of their degree qualification.
	The Belfast Education and Library Board and the South-Eastern Education and Library Board are each currently funding four children on specific ABA Programmes.
	Figures for the number of children known to the Education and Library Boards to have an ASD are as follows*:
	* As of June 2001. Figures taken from the Task Group Report on Autism.
	
		
			 Education board Number of pupils 
		
		
			 North-Eastern 112 
			 South-Eastern 276 
			 Southern 242 
			 Western 145 
			 Belfast 194

Euro

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the criteria are for the appointment of the members of the Northern Ireland Committee on preparations for the euro; and what the terms of the appointment are.

Ian Pearson: As I announced on 9 June 2003, the Committee will include representation from central and local government, Trades Unions, the voluntary sector, consumer organisations and business. Decisions on the practical arrangements, including the criteria for appointment to the Committee have still to be taken and these will be announced as soon as possible.

Hospital Appointments

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer of 9 June 2003, Official Report, column 699W, on hospital appointments, how many (a) out-patient attendances, (b) accident and emergency assessments and (c) in-patient admissions there were at hospitals in Northern Ireland during the first quarter of 2002.

Angela Smith: Information on hospital activity in Northern Ireland during the first quarter of 2002 is detailed in the following table.
	
		
			 Activity 1 January 2002to 31 March 2002 
		
		
			 (a) Out-patient Attendances—Patients Seen 376,565 
			 (b) Accident and Emergency Attendances 157,746 
			 (c) Normal In-patient Admissions 80,905 
			 (c) Day Cases Admissions 34,471 
			 (c) Total In-patient Activity (normal in-patient + day case admissions) 115,376

Housing (Room Heaters)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many glass-fronted room heaters have been replaced by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in each of the past 10 years; what health and safety procedures are in place to ensure that second-hand room heaters pose no risk to those tenants having them installed; and how often these procedures are updated.

John Spellar: The Housing Executive is currently in the process of replacing all glass-fronted room heaters with oil or natural gas systems and, over the last four years the number of room heaters in Housing Executive homes has been reduced from around 52,000 to 25,284. It is expected that the majority of the remaining room heaters will be replaced over the next three years. Figures for the 10 individual years are not available in the form requested and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	Damaged or unserviceable glass-fronted room heaters are only replaced with second-hand units as an interim measure in situations where a full-scale heating replacement scheme has already been programmed. Each second-hand room heater is examined and assessed by a major heating contractor and if deemed to be in good order it is then fully re-conditioned before it is re-fitted. During the re-conditioning process the appliance is thoroughly checked and tested in the same manner and to the same standards applied to a new appliance. At the time of commissioning, the installation is checked in-situ to the same standards as a new appliance and a commissioning certificate produced. This procedure is now only into its second year of operation and is presently under review.

Insurance Premiums

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many jobs in Northern Ireland have been lost where the reason given was high insurance premiums in each year since 1997.

Ian Pearson: It is not possible to identify the number of jobs that have been lost as a result of high insurance premiums in Northern Ireland as information on the reason for job losses is not provided when redundancies are confirmed to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment.

Insurance Premiums

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on (a) the changes in the number of insurance underwriters in Northern Ireland and (b) the impact of the level of insurance premiums in Northern Ireland.

Ian Pearson: The Financial Services Authority has confirmed that details regarding the geographical spread of insurance underwriters within the UK are not available.
	A recent survey of Business Insurance Premiums in Northern Ireland carried out by the Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment (DETI) indicated that there was an average percentage increase of 28 per cent. in 2001 compared with 2000 and an average percentage increase of 49 per cent. in 2002 compared with 2001. DETI has been engaged in a number of activities aimed at alleviating the situation.

Insurance Premiums

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many small businesses in Northern Ireland have made representations to Invest Northern Ireland and its predecessors about the level of insurance premiums in each year since 1997.

Ian Pearson: It is not possible to quantify the specific occasions on which the cost of insurance premiums has been raised with Invest NI or its predecessors. I can confirm that over the last 18 months there has been an increasing number of companies highlighting substantial rises in their insurance costs to Invest NI and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment. My Department is actively working to ensure that the Northern Ireland dimension to this problem is recognised within Government.
	In response to the concerns raised by client companies, Invest NI has instigated five regional insurance seminars involving an experienced practitioner from the insurance industry, together with a leading risk assessor, to advise companies on ways to maximise insurance protection whilst minimising the costs of insurance premiums.

Play Centre (Londonderry)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland why the South East Education and Library Board did not allocate the Play Centre at Londonderry Primary School, Newtownards with Pre-school Education Advisory Group (PEAG) places for (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04.

Jane Kennedy: In each Education and Library Board area a Pre-School Education Advisory Group (PEAG) manages the allocation of pre-school places for children in their final pre-school year to settings that have applied to be part of the Pre-School Education Expansion Programme (PSEEP). Although the Play Centre at Londonderry Primary School requested an application form for inclusion in the Pre-School Education Expansion Programme for the 2002–03 school year, it was not returned to the PEAG before the closing date of 23 November 2001. As a result the South Eastern Education and Library Board's PEAG allocated all available places in the Programme to settings that submitted their application on time.
	Although the Play Centre at Londonderry Primary School again submitted an application for places for 2003–04 the PEAG already had sufficient pre-school places from existing providers to satisfy demand in Newtownards from children in their final pre-school year, including the Glen ward in which the Play Centre is located.
	The number of pre-school places which the South Eastern Board's Pre-school Education Advisory Group will be funding in Newtownards in 2003–04 will be sufficient to satisfy the demand from children in their final pre-school year. Additional places will only be reallocated to other providers, such as the Play Centre, if existing providers are unable to fill places and then only within the overall needs of the town.

Post Office

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of pensioners in Northern Ireland has opened new post office card accounts since their introduction; and if he will make a statement.

John Spellar: In Northern Ireland as at 30 May 2003, of the 24,762 pensioners in receipt of state pensions who have been invited to move to Direct Payment, 5,933 have indicated that they wanted to open a post office card account. This equated to 24 per cent. of those invited.

Post Office

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which banks operating in Northern Ireland have agreed to offer their customers automated cash access to their bank accounts at post offices.

John Spellar: The following banks operating in Northern Ireland, allow access to their basic bank accounts via an automated service over the Post Office counter provided by the teller: Abbey National, Alliance and Leicester, Bank of Ireland, the Co-operative Bank, First Trust Bank, Halifax, HSBC, Nationwide Building Society, Northern Bank and Ulster Bank.
	The Alliance and Leicester, the Co-operative Bank and the internet banks Cahoot and Smile also provide customers with access to their current accounts at the Post Office, using cheque books and guarantee cards.

Post-Primary Review Working Group

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria were used to select the members of the working group on the way forward on post-primary education; and how many members on that group are drawn from organisations that are on record as opposing (a) academic selection and (b) oppose academic selection at age 11.

Jane Kennedy: The membership of the Post-Primary Review Working Group has been drawn from the main education interests and managing authorities that will be responsible for the development and implementation of future arrangements. The members were chosen on the basis of the range and depth of their knowledge and experience of the education system in Northern Ireland and include four former or practicing principals and a deputy director of a Further Education College. The individuals have been invited to participate on the group in a personal capacity and not as representatives of particular organisations. The views of all organisations that responded to the Burns Consultation are set out in the report published by my Department in October 2002, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

Post-Primary Review Working Group

Andrew Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what criteria were taken into consideration when appointing members of the working group on post-primary education in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many members of the working group on post-primary education in Northern Ireland represent organisations which oppose academic selection (a) in principle and (b) at age 11; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many members of the working group on post-primary education in Northern Ireland represent organisations which support academic selection; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The membership of the Post-Primary Review Working Group has been drawn from the main education interests and managing authorities that will be responsible for the development and implementation of future arrangements. The members were chosen because of the range and depth of their knowledge and experience of the education system in Northern Ireland and include four former or practicing principals and a Deputy Director of a Further Education College. The individuals have been invited to participate on the group in a personal capacity and not as representatives of particular organisations. The views of all organisations that responded to the Burns Consultation are set out in the report published by my Department in October 2002, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

Post-Primary Review Working Group

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with grammar school principals regarding the membership of the Post-Primary Review Working Group; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Governing Bodies Association, which represents Voluntary Grammar Schools, was asked to submit names for consideration and a member was invited to serve on the Working Group from the names provided. Members were chosen on the basis of the range and depth of their experience and knowledge of the education system in Northern Ireland and include four practising or former school principals and one deputy director of an FE College.

Reform and Reinvestment Initiative

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the annual regional rate increase in Northern Ireland for each £100 million of borrowing under the Reform and Reinvestment Initiative assuming a Great Britain council tax increase of 10 per cent. average.

Ian Pearson: A 10 per cent. average increase in council tax in England would represent an increase in the average household bill of £91 per annum over current (2003–04) levels. Access to borrowing under the Reinvestment and Reform Initiative is dependent on the total rates product in Northern Ireland (i.e. the District and Regional rates). On the assumption that district rate and regional non-domestic rate increases are in line with recent trends, a borrowing power of £100 million in 2004–05 would require an increase in the average regional domestic rate of approximately £64 per household per annum over the 2003–04 figure. Each additional £100 million of borrowing in that year would require a further increase of around £10 per household per annum.

Residential Care

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer of 9 June 2003, Official Report, column 700W, on residential care, if he will make a statement on the number of (a) nursing home and (b) residential care places for the elderly in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: My right hon. Friend's written answer of 9 June 2003, Official Report, column 700W, represents the best currently available information on the numbers of places for the elderly in residential care and nursing homes in Northern Ireland. It is not possible to disaggregate the number of nursing home places for the elderly, as the Department does not routinely collect this information.
	The reduction in the number of available places for the elderly in residential care over the five year period 1997 to 2002 from 4,965 to 4,596 to some extent may be attributed to a change by home owners to dual registered places in care homes, and to the increase in the provision of both domiciliary care services by the Health and Personal Social Services and in Housing Association sheltered housing for the elderly.

Work-related Deaths/Injuries

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) work-related injuries and (b) work-related deaths were recorded in Northern Ireland in 2002.

Ian Pearson: Figures are not readily available for the calendar year 2002 but the number of work-related injuries and deaths reported to enforcing authorities in Northern Ireland under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997 during the financial year 2002–03 were 4,119 and 20 respectively.

HEALTH

Cancer

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the initiative of the National Cancer Research Network to ensure that clinical trials are developed and extended to include adolescents.

Melanie Johnson: The Department of Health, which funds the National Cancer Research Network is providing specific funding for a specialised research network on paediatric oncology. The network is led by the United Kingdom Children's Cancer Study Group (UKCCSG). At the suggestion of the UKCCSC, this funding includes provision for a trial co-ordinator development post for teenage and young adults. This investment reflects the importance the Department places on the development of clinical trials for adolescents with cancer.

Chemicals

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research he has conducted into the impact upon human health of the use of (a) bleach and (b) other chemicals in sanitary towels and related items, (c) home cleaning products, (d) detergents and (e) spray furniture polish; what advice has been given to the public relating to their use; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The Department has not carried out any research into chemicals used in sanitary towels and related items, nor has it provided any advice to the public relating to their use.
	Since 1984, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the sanitary protection industry have operated a voluntary prior notification scheme for menstrual tampons. This scheme applies to the entire manufactured product, including the instructions for use. Under the scheme, manufacturers submit to Government specifications for proposed new tampons to which there have been significant changes in the design or materials. The Department scrutinises them to decide whether they pose a health hazard and checks the leaflets to ensure that they give the right health message.
	In the case of chemical products such as bleach, home cleaning products, detergents and spray furniture products, their safety is governed by the Health and Safety Commission's Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations 2002. These Regulations require that manufacturers must assess a chemical product for its health effects. If dangerous, the product must be labelled with a warning symbol and phrases indicating the dangers. The particular chemical(s), which cause the product to be classified, must be named on the label. The Regulations also require that all potentially dangerous chemicals supplied to the public must be in packaging that is properly labelled and contains warnings about the potential hazards and giving advice on suitable precautions.
	Other regulations for protecting the consumer are the DTI's General Product Safety Regulations 1994 (GPSR), which implement the EC General Product Safety Directive (92159/EEC) and apply to all consumer products (or aspects of those products) that are not covered by specific European safety legislation. The GPSR requires manufacturers to ensure that products present no risk or only the minimum risk compatible with the product's use. In other words, producers must first take steps to reduce the hazard as far as possible, then warn about any residual hazard(s) and give advice about the precautions that consumers should take when using the product.

Chemicals

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact upon (a) human and (b) animal health of the use of PVC chemicals in consumer products; what advice has been given to the public relating to their use; what restrictions have been placed on their use; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The Department has provided advice to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on the health effects of phthalates, which may be present in PVC used in consumer products. It has not provided any advice on the effects on animal health, nor has it given any advice to the public.
	The safety of chemical products, such as those made from PVC, is governed by the Health and Safety Commission's Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations 2002. These regulations require that manufacturers must assess a chemical product for its health effects. If dangerous, the product must be labelled with a warning symbol and phrases indicating the dangers. The particular chemical(s) which cause a product to be classified must be named on the label. The regulations also require that all potentially dangerous chemicals supplied to the public must be in packaging which is properly labelled and contains warnings about the potential hazards and giving advice on sensible precautions.
	Other regulations for protecting the consumer are the DTI's General Product Safety Regulations 1994(GPSR), which implement the EC General Product Safety Directive (92159/EEC) and apply to all consumer products (or aspects of those products) that are not covered by specific European safety legislation. The GPSR requires manufacturers to ensure that products present no risks or only minimum risk, compatible with the product's use. In other words, producers must first take steps to reduce the hazard as far as possible, then warn about any residual hazard(s) and give advice about the precautions that consumers should take when using the product.

Community Health Councils/Patients Forums

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether structures to replace community health councils will be in place and fully operational before community health councils are abolished;
	(2)  what plans he has for the smooth transfer of responsibilities from community health councils to patients' forums.

Rosie Winterton: Patients' forums are just one part of the new system for patient and public involvement being introduced to replace Community Health Councils (CHCs). Already, much of what will replace CHCs is in place—Patients' Advice and Liaison Services exist in almost all trusts, Overview and Scrutiny Committees have had the new power to scrutinise health since January 2003, independent complaints advocacy services will be available across England from 1 September 2003 and the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH) has been in existence since 1 January 2003. Staff support for patients' forums will be in place by 1 September 2003, and by 1 December 2003 when CHCs will be abolished, all patients' forums will be in place.
	Work is under way, with the CPPIH, the Association for Community Health Councils in England and Wales and CHC members and staff, to ensure the smooth transfer of responsibilities where they have not already been picked up elsewhere and to consider how best to transfer local CHC knowledge to the new patients' forums.

Community Health Councils/Patients Forums

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether members of community health councils will be (a) given an opportunity to become members of patients forums and (b) invited to form the first tranche of the new membership of patients' forums.

Rosie Winterton: Recruitment to patients' forums will be conducted by the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health, through a process of open competition. Community Health Council members will be encouraged to apply to join patients' forums, although they will not be invited specifically to form a first tranche of members of forums.

Community Health Councils/Patients Forums

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the patients' forums will enter into effect.

Rosie Winterton: The intention is to commence the legislation that will give effect to patients' forums on 1 September 2003. From that date, patients' forums will be established and the intention is that members will have been appointed to all forums by the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health by 1 December 2003. I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my hon. Friend the Member for Tottenham (Mr. Lammy) on 4 June 2003, Official Report, columns 22–23WS.

Drug Trials

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to require the disclosure of company drug trial results.

Melanie Johnson: There are no plans currently in place to require disclosure of company drug trial results. The Government welcome the pharmaceutical industry's support for the Department of Health's research governance framework for health and social care, which recognises that it is researchers' responsibility to ensure that research findings are opened to critical review through the accepted scientific and professional channels and disseminated promptly once established. The Government encourage the pharmaceutical industry to disclose drug trial results to the maximum extent consistent with regulatory process and intellectual property rights.

Drug Users

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government is taking to (a) reduce the proportion of people aged under 25 reporting use of heroin and cocaine by 25 per cent. by 2008 and 25 per cent. by 2005, (b) reduce the levels of repeat offending among drug misusing offenders by 25 per cent. by 2005 and 50 per cent. by 2008; (c) increase the participation of problem drug misusers including prisoners in drug treatment programmes which have a positive impact on health and crime by 66 per cent. by 2005 and 100 per cent. by 2008 and (d) reduce access to the drugs which cause most harm, with particular reference to heroin and cocaine among young people, by 25 per cent. by 2005 and 50 per cent. by 2008.

Caroline Flint: I have been asked to reply.
	We have not abandoned our targets.
	The review found that although the broad thrust of the strategy was right it needed a greater focus on the most dangerous drugs, the most damaged communities and problematic drug users—those whose addiction and chaotic lifestyles caused the most harm to themselves and others. The targets also needed to be revised to ensure that they were challenging but achievable. The Home Affairs Committee in its inquiry "The Government's Drugs Policy: is it working?" supported these findings.
	The SR2000 and SR2002 targets are set out in the list. The targets are monitored and delivered by departments working closely together, although each target has a lead department which co-ordinates delivery. These are also indicated in the list.
	The Updated Drug Strategy published in December 2002 sets out progress made, the new targets and the range of policies and interventions planned to achieve them. A copy is in the Library.
	We will continue to report publicly on our progress through general reports on the strategy and through specific statistical bulletins. As with previous targets, more detailed information on how the new targets will be measured is set out in technical notes available on departmental websites.
	The Technical Notes can be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs/sr2002psa tn.pdf, for the Home Office (HO);
	http://www.doh.gov.uk/psa/index.htm, for the Department of Health (DH);
	www.hmce.gov.uk/about/excellence/cetechnotes-03.pdf, for Her Majesty's Customs and Excise (HMCE). Please note that this note is currently being revised.
	Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets from the previous spending review (SR2000) and the corresponding new targets from this latest spending review (SR2002)
	Young People (HO lead):
	SR2000 target: reduce the proportion of people under the age of 25 reporting the use of class A drugs 25 per cent. by 2005 and by 50 per cent. by 2008.
	New target: reduce the use of class A drugs and the frequent use of any illicit drug among all young people under the age of 25 especially by the most vulnerable young people.
	Tackling Supply (HMCE lead):
	SR2000 target: reduce the availability of Class A drugs by 25 per cent. by 2005 and 50 per cent. by 2008.
	New target: reduce the availability of illegal drugs by increasing:
	the proportion of heroin and cocaine targeted on the UK which is taken out;
	the disruption/dismantling of those criminal groups responsible for supplying substantial quantities of class A drugs to the UK market; and
	the recovery of drug-related criminal assets.
	New additional target (Foreign and Commonwealth Office lead): Contribute to the reduction of opium production in Afghanistan, with poppy cultivation reduced by 70 per cent. within five years and elimination within 10 years.
	Drug related crime (HO lead):
	SR2000 target: reduce the levels of repeat offending among drug misusing offenders by 25 per cent. by 2005 and 50 per cent. by 2008.
	New target: reduce drug-related crime, including as measured by the proportion of offenders testing positive for arrest.
	Treatment (DH lead):
	SR2000 Target: Increase the participation of problem drug users in drug treatment programmes by 55 per cent. by 2004 and by 100 per cent. by 2008.
	New target: Increase the participation of problem drug users in drug treatment programmes by 55 per cent. by 2004 and by 100 per cent. by 2008, and increase year on year the proportion of users successfully sustaining or completing treatment programmes.

Feminine Hygiene Products

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what regulations govern the materials used to make tampons and sanitary towels;
	(2)  which Government body regulates the makers of feminine hygiene products;
	(3)  what plans he has to increase the controls over the composition of feminine hygiene products.

Stephen Ladyman: The tampons industry is self-regulated. Since 1984, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the sanitary protection industry have operated a voluntary prior notification scheme for menstrual tampons. Under the scheme, manufacturers submit to the DTI written details of any significant changes to new or current products. The notification applies to the entire manufactured product including the tampon itself. Approximately 95 per cent., of tampon manufacturers in this country are covered by this scheme. The scheme includes a code of practice, agreed with the DTI, which all the manufacturers who belong to the scheme must comply with. This covers product safety assessment of all materials used. The notification scheme is the industry's response to concerns regarding toxic shock syndrome. Under the scheme, the manufacturers submit to the Government specifications for proposed new tampons to which there have been significant changes in the designs or materials. Submissions under the scheme are evaluated by a toxicologist in the Department of Health, who determines whether they pose a health hazard and provides advice to the DTI.

Feminine Hygiene Products

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what control exists over the levels of dioxins in tampons and sanitary products;
	(2)  what the maximum permitted amounts of dioxins allowed in tampons and sanitary products are;
	(3)  what the maximum annual exposure rates to dioxins consistent with no risk to health are;
	(4)  how female sanitary products are screened for the presence of dioxins; by whom; and to whom the reports are supplied.

Stephen Ladyman: There are no controls over the levels of dioxins in tampons and sanitary towels. Trace amounts of dioxins can be formed in cotton used in tampons and sanitary towels during bleaching processes using chlorine. The levels, if detectable, are very low and pose no risk to human health. There is evidence that some manufacturers use unbleached cotton for these products and hence exposure to dioxins in these cases does not occur.
	The toxicology of dioxins has been extensively reviewed by many national and international expert groups. The most recent evaluation, by the Committee on Toxicity of Food, Consumer Products and the Environment, was completed in 2001. The potential level of exposure to dioxins associated with use of bleached cotton in sanitary towels and tampons would be considerably lower that the recent tolerable daily intake set by the Committee.

Food Standards

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on current developments within the Meat Hygiene Service, with specific reference to the re-evaluation of the Over 30 Months Scheme.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 12 June 2003
	The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is currently reviewing the over-thirty-months rule, which currently stops most older cattle from entering the food chain. This review could have an impact on the Over Thirty Months Scheme (OTMS), an associated market support measure, run by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The Meat Hygiene Service (MHS), an executive agency of the FSA, provides supervision, inspection and monitoring services for the OTMS under a service level agreement with Defra.
	Two options for change to the over-thirty-months rule are currently the subject of consultation by the FSA. These are:
	allowing cattle born after 1 August 1996 into the food supply; or
	allowing cattle of any age into the food supply.
	Under both options, all cattle over thirty months of age entering the food supply would be tested for BSE.
	The consultation closes on 20 June 2003 and the Board of the FSA is expected on 10 July 2003 to conclude the review, and decide on advice to Ministers. The MHS is closely involved with work currently under way to identify and consider the implications for its activities, should either option be chosen for implementation.

Food Supplements

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received from Biocare in relation to the provisions of the (a) Food Supplements Directive and the (b) Food Supplements (England) Regulations; and what response he has made to those representations.

Melanie Johnson: No such representations have been received from BioCare.

Food Supplements

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assesment he has made of the impact on (a) consumer choice and (b) the United Kingdom food supplements industry of the possible setting by the European Union of maximum permitted levels of nutrients in food supplements at levels substantially lower than those permitted in the United Kingdom.

Melanie Johnson: Article 5 of Directive 2002/46/EC on Food Supplements sets out principles for setting maximum limits for vitamins and minerals in food supplements, although no specific figures have yet been set.
	Should the future setting of maximum permitted levels of nutrients in food supplements result in levels substantially lower than those currently used in the United Kingdom, this could, in the long run, result in the removal from the UK market of certain high-dose products, with a consequent reduction in consumer choice and impact on the UK food supplements industry.

Food Supplements

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the implications for United Kingdom treaty obligations if the (a) Welsh Assembly and (b) Scottish Parliament were not to approve the Food Supplements (Wales) Regulations.

Melanie Johnson: If the Welsh Assembly and the Scottish Parliament did not approve the Food Supplements (Wales) Regulations and the Food Supplements (Scotland) Regulations respectively, the United Kingdom would not have fulfilled its obligations under the EC Treaty to fully transpose the Food Supplements Directive. This would be a serious breach of the UK's obligations under the Treaty and would attract infraction proceedings from the Commission.

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many responses have been received by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to the sixth edition of their code of practice; and how many were from (a) individual patients, (b) clinics and (c) professional bodies.

Melanie Johnson: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has so far received five responses to its code of practice consultation which began on 19 May 2003 and closes on 8 August 2003. Two of these responses are from HFEA licensed clinics, two are from professional bodies and the other is from a general practitioner. The HFEA has sent the draft of the sixth code of practice to over 200 clinicians, professional organisations and patient support groups.

Infectious Patients

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received concerning a lack of adequate (a) isolation rooms and (b) negative pressure rooms to deal with infectious patients in hospital.

Melanie Johnson: We have not received any representations on these specific issues. Chief executives were required to carry out a local risk assessment to determine the appropriate provision for isolation facilities within their trusts in 2000.

Mental Health Bill

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he will publish the responses to the consultation exercise on the Mental Health Bill;
	(2)  when he plans to publish the Mental Health Bill; and what impact the consultation exercise has had on the Bill's provisions.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 23 June 2003
	I refer the hon. Member to the response given to him on 2 April 2003, Official Report, column 774W by my hon. Friend the then Minister of State (Jacqui Smith).
	We continue to give careful consideration to all the thoughtful responses so that we can ensure that the legislation delivers the best possible outcomes for patients. The Bill will be introduced as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Pain Management

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on pain management.

Melanie Johnson: Pain management is an important component of most patients' care. Patients may suffer from different types of pain, such as chronic pain caused by long term conditions such as arthritis, palliative care pain caused by terminal conditions such as cancer and acute pain, which is an intense short-lived pain including post-operative pain.
	The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has been reviewing pain management techniques as part of the supportive and palliative care guidance. This provides a clearer idea of what therapies are effective and areas where further work is needed. Part A of the guidance is available in draft on the NICE website at http://www.nice.org.uk/.
	The Clinical Standards Advisory Group (CSAG) report on pain services shows that many national health service trusts have developed excellent services, but we are aware that there are variations in access to services throughout the country. The CSAG report made recommendations to NHS acute trusts and commissioners on how pain services should be delivered. The Dr. Foster and Pain Society published its report "Adult Chronic Pain Management Services in the UK" on 11 June 2003, and should provide helpful information to the NHS on the delivery of the service.

Rural Proofing

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he last met the Chairman of the Countryside Agency to discuss rural proofing.

Melanie Johnson: My hon. Friend, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Ms Blears) has had regular contact with the chairman of the Countryside Agency and other Department's Ministers through the work of DA(RR), the Cabinet sub-committee on rural renewal. She also had a separate meeting in January with the chairman of the Countryside Agency, in company with my right hon. Friend, the Minister for Rural Affairs, to discuss this Department's contribution to rural proofing and related issues.
	The Department's application of rural proofing is covered in detail in the Countryside Agency report, Rural Proofing 2003–04, published earlier this month.

Smoking Bans

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take powers to ban smoking in areas next to children's playgrounds.

Melanie Johnson: There are no plans to take powers to ban smoking in areas next to children's playgrounds in England.
	In Scotland and Wales, responsibility for this matter rests with the devolved administrations. While the institutions in Northern Ireland are dissolved, responsibility rests with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Office.

TREASURY

EU Programmes (Fraud)

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much fraud has been detected in EU programmes and initiatives in the UK in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: The European Commission does not identify amounts of established fraud against the Community budget. The UK, along with all member states, reports all detected irregularities (which include fraud) to the Commission. Details of the amounts reported can be found in the Commission's annual "Fight against Fraud" reports. The most recent "Fight Against Fraud" report was published in July 2002 and can be accessed from the European Union's website http://europa.eu.int.

NHS Statistics

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many NHS patients died last year as a result of consuming licensed medicines.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Jonathon Djanogly, dated 24 June 2003
	As National Statistician, 1 have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many NHS patients died last year as a result of consuming licensed medicines. (120678)
	Information from routine death registration only enables ONS to identify deaths certified as due to drug poisoning, and those recorded at death as resulting from adverse reactions to drugs taken in therapeutic doses. The latest available data on both of these are for 2001. In that year, there were 2,898 deaths certified as due to drug poisoning 1 and 133 deaths recorded as being from adverse reactions to drugs taken in therapeutic doses 2 .
	It is not possible to say how many of these deaths were to people receiving treatment as NHS patients. In particular, a substantial number of deaths due to drug poisoning were from drugs which are often misused (1,623 in 2001) or from medicines taken at the patient's own initiative.
	1 Defined using the International Classification of Diseases codes F11-F16, F18-F19, X40-X44, X60-X64, Y10-Y14, X85 as the underlying cause of death.
	2 Defined using the International Classification of Diseases codes Y40-Y59 as the underlying or secondary cause of death.

Benefits Uprating

Michael Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 30 April 2003, Official Report, columns 371–72W, on benefits uprating, if he will make a statement on the role intended for RPIX in the uprating of the basic state pension.

John Healey: I refer the right hon. and learned Gentleman to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 9 June 2003, Official Report, column 414, in which he confirmed that pensions and benefits will be calculated on exactly the same basis as now.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 19 May from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Naveed Mahmid Zakaria.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue replied to my right hon. Friend on behalf of the Chancellor on 17 June 2003 and very much regret having been unable to do so sooner. The Tax Credit Office aims to reply to 80 per cent. of complaints within 15 working days and will measure their performance and report against that aim in due course.

Economic and Monetary Union

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his statement of 9 June 2003, Official Report, column 411, on Economic and Monetary Union, what estimate he has made of how long it would take to enable supply to balance demand in the housing market in the event of the introduction of simpler planning guidance, the speeding up of decisions, reserve powers to call in applications and binding local plans.

Paul Boateng: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. and learned Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Mr. Howard) on 20 June 2003, Official Report, column 457W.

Economic and Monetary Union

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what meetings he plans to attend with other EU finance ministers at which the interpretation of the Stability and Growth Pact will be discussed.

Paul Boateng: The Chancellor has frequent discussions with his EU colleagues on a wide range of issues. The next meeting of the Council of Economic and Finance Ministers is on 15 July.

Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices

Claire Ward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact upon inflation-linked pensions of the adoption of the harmonised index of consumer prices.

Dawn Primarolo: In his statement on 9 June the Chancellor confirmed that pensions and benefits and index-linked gilts would be calculated on exactly the same basis as now. The Chancellor had previously made clear that the Treasury review of the inflation target was being examined from a monetary policy perspective.

Income Tax

David Kidney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated yield would be in the current financial year of a top rate of income tax of 50 per cent. on incomes of £150,000 and above if all other rates and allowances were to remain the same.

Dawn Primarolo: The additional full-year yield of a 50 per cent. rate of tax on taxable income over £150,000 in 2003–04 is £3.6 billion. This estimate is based on the Survey of Personal Incomes 2000–01 and is consistent with the April 2003 Budget.

Inland Revenue (Scottish Charities)

David Lidington: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations the Inland Revenue has received from Mr. Robert Winter of Wendover, Bucks, about the operation under Scottish charity regulations of (a) Solutions RMC Ltd. and (b) Breast Cancer Research Scotland; and what requests for information about the operation of charity law in Scotland the Inland Revenue has received from Mr. Winter.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue's Charity offices have not been able to trace any correspondence from Mr. Winter.

Israel

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what (a) payments have been made and (b) responses have been received from the Government of Israel following the implementation of the Community Customs Code (Council Regulation EEC no 2913/92).

John Healey: Council Regulation EEC no 2913/92 provides for the customs rules to be applied throughout the Community. It places no obligations on Israel or any other third country to make payments or provide information.

Job Advertisements

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans his Department has to advertise posts in the Scottish press.

John Healey: HM Treasury usually advertise posts in the national press and specialist publications as appropriate.

Lease Duty

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the total additional revenue that will be raised from the proposals to increase the charge to lease duty contained in Section 56 and Schedule 5 of the Finance Bill.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the total additional revenue from the proposals to increase the charge to lease duty contained in Section 56 and Schedule 5 of the Finance Bill 2003 were given in table A2.1 of the Budget 2003 report.

Ministerial Meetings

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the request for information from the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration concerning ministerial meetings.

John Healey: No such request has been received from the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration.

National Insurance (Top-up Payments)

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people paid national insurance top-up payments in each year since 1992–03.

Dawn Primarolo: Numbers of people paying each class of national insurance contributions are published by ONS in the Annual Abstract in table 10.2. Copies are held in the Library of the House.

Public Service Agreements

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the (a) establishment and (b) operation of HM Treasury's on-line reporting of progress against public service agreements has cost per year.

Paul Boateng: The on-line reporting of progress against public service agreements was launched in April 2003. The site was constructed using existing IT systems and no external resources were required, other than software procurement costing under £100. Going forward the operation of the website will be based around existing performance information streams, and will require little resource input.

Race Relations

Angela Eagle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made in his Department and non departmental public bodies on implementing the requirements of the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000; and if he will publish the results of the monitoring required by the Act.

John Healey: As part of our commitment to equality and diversity the Treasury published its Race Equality Scheme in May 2002. This identified a number of Treasury business priority areas relating to the requirements of the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000 including fiscal policy, improving the quality and cost effectiveness of public service provision and regulation of financial services. The Department will be reviewing progress on diversity this year and will report on our diversity objectives in our annual Departmental Report.

Sewel Motions

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list Sewel motions passed by the Scottish Parliament since May 1999 that apply to his Department's responsibilities and Government bills he has sponsored.

John Healey: Two Bills sponsored by the Treasury have been the subject of Sewel motions in the Scottish Parliament, as indicated:
	
		
			 Bill Sewel motion approved 
		
		
			 Financial Services and Markets 23 June 1999 
			 Government Resources and Accounts 6 July 2000

Stamp Duty

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what study he has made of the likely economic effect on the leasehold property market and occupational business leases of the changes to stamp duty proposed by the Finance Bill 2003.

Dawn Primarolo: A wide variety of economic and statistical data was used in developing the changes proposed in Finance Bill 2003.

Stamp Duty

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Small Business Service about the impact of stamp duty on future business start-ups.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government have held, and are continuing to hold, discussions with a wide variety of representative bodies and individual businesses, large and small. The Small Business Service has participated in those discussions.

Stamp Duty

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received from the Small Business Service on his proposal to impose stamp duty on commercial leases.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government received no written representations from the Small Business Service. However we received representations from other representative bodies, and from individual businesses, large and small.

Tax Credits

Patsy Calton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps are taken to ensure that claimants for tax credits whose claims have not been settled are told how to obtain interim payments.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to my statement of 28 April 2003, Official Report, column 53, and to my comments during the debate in Westminster Hall on 4 June 2003, Official Report, column 122WH.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Government Reshuffle

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Leader of the House if he will make a statement on the location of the office of his Department following the reshuffle.

Peter Hain: The office of the Leader of the House of Commons is currently located at the Privy Council Office, 2 Carlton Gardens, SW1 and in the House of Commons.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Government Agencies

Vera Baird: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans there are to relocate Government agencies and departments to (a) Teesside and (b) Tyneside.

Paul Boateng: The scope for relocating Government activity is being considered by Sir Michael Lyons. His review was announced in the Chancellor's budget statement on 9 April. Details of the review, including the consultation launched on 19 June, can be found on the HM Treasury website at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk

HOME DEPARTMENT

Protection Against Cruel Tethering Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there have been in each of the last five years in England under the Protection Against Cruel Tethering Act 1988.

Caroline Flint: The Protection of Animals Act 1911 is classified as a whole on the Home Office Court Proceedings database so that it is not possible to distinguish offences of cruel tethering from other offences of cruelty to animals. There were 975 persons proceeded against for all offences under the Protection of Animals Act 1911 in England and Wales in 2001, 754 of whom were found guilty.

Air Weapons

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents there have been in each of the past 10 years of air weapons having been taken from young people between the ages of 14 and 17 in (a) public places and (b) private places.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is not kept centrally. However, the following table shows the number of people under 17 years of age convicted or cautioned between 1992 and 2001 (the last year for which figures are available) for having an uncovered air weapon in a public place.
	
		
			  Convicted or cautioned 
		
		
			 1992 448 
			 1993 361 
			 1994 462 
			 1995 396 
			 1996 301 
			 1997 297 
			 1998 284 
			 1999 251 
			 2000 202 
			 2001 146

Anti-drugs Strategy

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which targets have been (a) abandoned, (b) retained and (c) newly adopted following the updated drug strategy; and how progress on targets is to be (i) monitored and (ii) reported.

Caroline Flint: I have been asked to reply.
	We have not abandoned our targets.
	The review found that although the broad thrust of the strategy was right, it needed a greater focus on the most dangerous drugs, the most damaged communities and problematic drug users—those whose addiction and chaotic lifestyles caused the most harm to themselves and others. The targets also needed to be revised to ensure that they were challenging but achievable. The Home Affairs Committee in its inquiry, "The Government's Drugs Policy: Is It Working?", supported these findings.
	The SR2000 and SR2002 targets are set out in the list. The targets are monitored and delivered by Departments working closely together, although each target has a lead Department which co-ordinates delivery. These are also indicated in the list.
	The Updated Drug Strategy, published in December 2002, sets out progress made, the new targets and the range of policies and interventions planned to achieve them. A copy is in the Library.
	We will continue to report publicly on our progress through general reports on the strategy and through specific statistical bulletins. As with previous targets, more detailed information on how the new targets will be measured is set out in technical notes available on departmental websites.
	The Technical Notes can be found at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs/sr2002psa tn.pdf, for the Home Office (HO);
	http://www.doh.gov.uk/psa/index.htm, for the Department of Health (DH); and
	www.hmce.gov.uk/about/excellence/cetechnotes-03.pdf, for Her Majesty's Customs and Excise (HMCE). Please note that this note is currently being revised.
	Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets from the previous spending review (SR2000) and the corresponding new targets from this latest spending review (SR2002). Young People (HO lead):
	SR2000 target: reduce the proportion of people under the age of 25 reporting the use of class A drugs 25 per cent. by 2005 and by 50 per cent. by 2008.
	New target: reduce the use of class A drugs and the frequent use of any illicit drug among all young people under the age of 25, especially by the most vulnerable young people.
	Tackling Supply (HMCE lead):
	SR2000 target: reduce the availability of Class A drugs by 25 per cent. by 2005 and 50 per cent. by 2008.
	New target: reduce the availability of illegal drugs by increasing:
	the proportion of heroin and cocaine targeted on the UK which is taken out;
	the disruption/dismantling of those criminal groups responsible for supplying substantial quantities of class A drugs to the UK market; and
	the recovery of drug-related criminal assets.
	New additional target (Foreign and Commonwealth Office lead): Contribute to the reduction of opium production in Afghanistan, with poppy cultivation reduced by 70 per cent. within five years and elimination within 10 years.
	Drug related crime (HO lead):
	SR2000 target: reduce the levels of repeat offending among drug misusing offenders by 25 per cent. by 2005 and 50 per cent. by 2008.
	New target: reduce drug-related crime, including as measured by the proportion of offenders testing positive for arrest.
	Treatment (DH lead):
	SR2000 Target: increase the participation of problem drug users in drug treatment programmes by 55 per cent. by 2004 and by 100 per cent. by 2008.
	New target: increase the participation of problem drug users in drug treatment programmes by 55 per cent. by 2004 and by 100 per cent. by 2008, and increase year-on-year the proportion of users successfully sustaining or completing treatment programmes.

Coalfield Communities

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many official visits were made to coalfield communities by Home Office ministers in 2002.

David Blunkett: Home Office Ministers undertake a wide programme of visits. In 2002 the ministerial team visited for example Doncaster, Aberdare, Gwent, Stoke-on-Trent and Wakefield.
	A number of our Ministers live in or on the edge of such communities.

Corporate Killing

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to increase the criminal liability of individual directors on corporate killing.

Paul Goggins: The intention of the proposals on corporate killing will be to address the failure of the criminal justice system to deal successfully with systemic corporate management failure, particularly in relation to large companies, which results in death. It is not our intention to target the criminal liability of individual directors. Where the failure is on the part of an individual, he should be prosecuted. The present gap is where the failure is collective.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 6 May 2003 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mohmed Abushema.

David Blunkett: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 17 June 2003.

Crack Cocaine Addiction

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has commissioned into treatment for crack cocaine addiction; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The National Treatment Agency (NTA) has carried out a review of available evidence on crack cocaine treatment and has issued guidance to service providers and commissioners to support service development, as part of the National Crack Plan, published in January 2003.
	The evidence suggests that cocaine misuse is treatable and many approaches already familiar to drug services in Britain work well, though none are specific to the treatment of crack dependence. The NTA guidance makes use of this research by identifying issues that local commissioners need to consider in developing effective treatment services.

Emergency Vehicles

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to (a) issue guidance and (b) write to chief constables to advise police forces not to prosecute ambulance and other emergency vehicle drivers for exceeding the speed limits while transporting human tissue and human organs.

Hazel Blears: I am very aware of the current concerns about the legal position of vehicles which exceed the speed limit while transporting human tissue or human organs. I am in discussion on this with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport (Alistair Darling), and will consider in the light of this what guidance or clarification of the law might be necessary.

Emergency Vehicles

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) ambulance and (b) other emergency vehicle drivers have been prosecuted by police forces for exceeding the speed limit while transporting human (a) tissue and (b) organs in each year since 1984.

Hazel Blears: The requested information is not available centrally.

Female Prisoners

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what plans he has to reduce the number of women in prison for non-violent offences;
	(2)  what plans he has to reduce re-offending among women released from prison;
	(3)  whether it is his policy to reduce the female prison population;
	(4)  what assessment has been made of the scope for the awarding of non-custodial sentences for women who are mothers.

Paul Goggins: The significant increase in the female prison population, and the wider consequences of this in terms of disruption to their families, particularly their children, underlines the importance of responding specifically to the particular needs and characteristics of women offenders.
	We are taking forward the Women's Offending Reduction Programme over the next three years in order to promote a more distinct response to the range of factors that have an impact on why women offend, and encourages joint working between departments, agencies and other relevant organisations. A primary focus will be on improving community based interventions that are better tailored to the needs of women, and encouraging greater use of community disposals to ensure that custody is only used for women offenders who really need to be there.
	It is, of course, for the courts to decide what sentence is appropriate in individual cases, but we intend to support and encourage greater use of community sentences for women by making sure that there is a comprehensive package of community interventions and services to meet their particular needs, including child care facilities, safe housing, drug treatment or mental health services. We will continue to ensure that the courts are made fully aware of the community options that are available.
	We are also introducing new sentencing powers in the Criminal Justice Bill that will allow offenders on short custodial sentences to focus their rehabilitative work in the community, enabling them to maintain family ties and employment. The Criminal Justice Bill will introduce 'Custody minus', under which offenders will have a custodial sentence of under 12 months suspended providing they follow set requirements in the community, breach of which would return them to prison.
	There is a new sentence of intermittent custody, under which offenders can spend part of the week in custody and part 'on licence' in the community. One of the pilots for this sentence will be at a women's prison, Her Majesty's Prison Morton Hall. Intermittent Custody will provide an alternative to full-time custody for suitable offenders and will enable them to serve their sentence in a way which dovetails more closely with their personal circumstances.
	For women who do need to be held in custody, resettlement is a vital element of the Women's Offending Reduction Programme. More effective re-integration into the community for women prisoners on release should have a positive impact on re-offending rates. The implementation of the Women's Estate resettlement strategy will ensure that women are kept as close to home as possible, that good family ties are maintained to minimise the impact on children separated from their mothers, and necessary local community links are made to meet the range of women's resettlement
	needs.

Gloucestershire Constabulary

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the first date since 1 January was on which he received a section 44 authorisation from Gloucestershire Constabulary in relation to RAF Fairford;
	(2)  when since 1 January he has confirmed section 44 authorisations submitted by Gloucestershire Constabulary;
	(3)  what reasons were given by Gloucestershire Constabulary for each section 44 authorisation.

David Blunkett: I can confirm that authorisations under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 have been made by Gloucestershire Constabulary and confirmed by Ministers. An authorisation may be given only for the purpose of preventing acts of terrorism. It is a longstanding policy of this and previous administrations not to comment on operational counter-terrorist measures and it would be inappropriate for me to elaborate further.

Home Security

Jimmy Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to assist disadvantaged people in providing for home security in poorer areas; and if he will make a statement on measures to be taken when a home has been repeatedly burgled.

Hazel Blears: Under the Crime Reduction Programme, around 200 of the 250 reducing burglary projects involved some form of target hardening for houses that had been burgled or were otherwise considered vulnerable. The projects were all in areas with high burglary rates, which correlate closely with areas of deprivation. We also provided home security improvements to around 55,000 low income pensioners living in areas with burglary rates above the national average.
	The Crime Reduction Programme has now been replaced by the Building Safer Communities fund (BSC). BSC funding is mainly distributed directly to Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships and it is open to individual Partnerships to introduce target hardening for disadvantaged people, if this accords with local priorities and after consultation with the regional Home Office Director. Reducing burglary is a priority for more than four-fifths of Partnerships and many are undertaking target hardening schemes.
	The Police Standards Unit has developed a model of best practice and a menu of tactical options for tackling repeat burglary. It includes such things as target hardening, fast-track processing of DNA, watch schemes (such as Neighbourhood Watch), installation of CCTV and alarms, high visibility patrolling (from police, community safety officers etc.) and better use of intelligence. It also includes a tool to allow household risks and requirements to be assessed. This is being tested in several forces prior to the results being more widely disseminated.
	The results of the British Crime Survey indicate that the risk of burglary is inversely related to the level of household security. Householders can, therefore, reduce their chances of being re-victimised by fitting and properly using good quality door and window locks; fencing and gates; alarms etc.

Immigration

Andrew Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fast track visas have been granted to non-EU migrants each year since 1997.

Beverley Hughes: Information on the number of work permits issued on the basis of the Shortage Occupation List (to which the term 'fast track visas' is assumed to refer) is only available from 2000 onwards. The number of such permits issued over this period is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2000 24,485 
			 2001 47,654 
			 2002 49,572

Immigration

Andrew Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-EU citizens have been granted work permits in the United Kingdom in each year since 1992.

Beverley Hughes: The total number of work permit approvals for each year since 1995 (the first year for which information is available) is as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1995 34,862 
			 1996 38,256 
			 1997 44,958 
			 1998 53,962 
			 1999 60,743 
			 2000 88,651 
			 2001 120,823 
			 2002 136,151

Immigration

Andrew Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the target number of work permits to be issued was in each year since 1992.

Beverley Hughes: The Government do not set targets for the number of work permits to be issued. Assumptions are made about the numbers of work permit applications that are expected to be received in order that Work Permits UK can effectively allocate resources to process applications.

Immigration

Andrew Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many software developers from (a) India, (b) elsewhere in the sub-Indian continent and (c) other Asian countries have been granted (i) fast track visas and (ii) ordinary work permits in each year since 1992.

Beverley Hughes: The numbers of work permits issued to all IT workers from these geographic areas since 2000 (the earliest year for which data on shortage occupations, to which the term 'fast track visas' is assumed to refer, is available) is as follows:
	
		
			  Shortage occupations Non-shortage occupations 
		
		
			 India   
			 2000 3,950 7,519 
			 2001 9,175 7,839 
			 2002 7,039 10,324 
			  Rest of Indian sub-Continent(18) 
			 2000 114 103 
			 2001 388 130 
			 2002 453 280 
			  Other Asian Countries(19) 
			 2000 220 544 
			 2001 499 727 
			 2002 272 774 
		
	
	(18) Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh.
	(19) Nepal, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Mongolia, China, Bhutan, Taiwan, Japan, North and South Korea.
	Work Permits (UK) is not able to provide distinct figures for software developers.

Italian Citizens (Internment)

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received on the Government issuing an apology for internment of Italian citizens resident in the UK during World War II.

David Blunkett: I am not aware of any recent representations on this subject.

Moldovan Women

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Moldovan women have been (a) deported from the UK and (b) repatriated to Moldova in each year since 1997. [R]

Beverley Hughes: Information on the gender or destination of people who were removed from the UK is not available except by examination of individual case-files; this would be at disproportionate cost.

National Asylum Support Service

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the National Asylum Support Service is funding accommodation at the Coniston hotel, Sittingbourne; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 20 June 2003
	On 11 December 2002 we entered into contract with Accommodata to use some of the rooms at the Coniston hotel to house asylum seekers. As previously announced, we decided not to use the hotel and are not doing so. The Home Office has invoked the early termination provision of the contract. Until the end of contract, we will continue to meet our financial obligations.

Passports

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 18 June 2003, Official Report, column 265W, on passports, when the UK Passport Service last undertook such an exercise; and what the results were.

Beverley Hughes: holding answer 23 June 2003
	In the last five years the UK Passport Service (UKPS) has not undertaken any exercise which established the number of current passports which have been issued as second passports.

Police Basic Command Units

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the basic command units in the same administrative family as West Somerset Basic Command Unit.

Hazel Blears: The present administrative grouping containing West Somerset Basic Command Unit is contained in the table. This grouping will be used in the publication of Crime Statistics for February 2003 as it was for the January 2002 publication. These administrative groupings are currently being revised to reflect the small number of boundary changes that took effect in April 2003, and the updated lists will be published within the next few months.
	
		
			 Police force Basic command unit name 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset Somerset EastSomerset West 
			 Cambridgeshire CentralSouthern 
			 Derbyshire Buxton (B Division) 
			 Devon and Cornwall Devon and Cornwall area 1Devon and Cornwall area 3Devon and Cornwall area 4 
			 Dorset EasternWestern 
			 Essex Braintree 
			 Gloucestershire Cotswold and Stroud 
			 Hampshire AndoverCentral Hampshire 
			 Kent Weald 
			 Lincolnshire East LincolnshireSouth Lincolnshire 
			 Norfolk Norfolk Eastern areaNorfolk Western area 
			 North Yorkshire North Yorks—EasternNorth Yorks—Western 
			 Northamptonshire Western 
			 Suffolk Suffolk Western 
			 Sussex WealdWestern 
			 Thames Valley Aylesbury ValeNorthern OxfordshireSouthern OxfordshireWest Berkshire 
			 West Mercia Shrewsbury 
			 Wiltshire ChippenhamSalisbury

Policing Plan Targets

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many policing plan targets were (a) set and (b) achieved by each police force in England in 2002–03; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: Targets are set by police authorities in their annual policing and best value performance plans. In the financial year 2002–03, police authorities continued working towards targets for the reduction of vehicle crime and domestic burglary. In addition, the Metropolitan Police Authority and the police authorities for Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Midlands and West Yorkshire set targets for the reduction of robbery. Police authorities may set targets in other areas according to locally determined priorities. In 2002–03, for the purposes of securing best value, police authorities were required to monitor the performance of their forces against 21 indicators. They can choose locally to set targets against these indicators. Police authorities must publish performance against any targets and indicators.
	From April 2003, police authorities must also issue three-year strategy plans (two years in the first instance). These must take into account the National Policing Plan, and must express within them targets for the reduction of domestic burglary and vehicle crime and (in the areas covered by the street crime initiative) for robbery in line with Home Office Public Service Agreements. Information on all targets set locally and performance against them could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Prisons

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each category D prison for which the Prison Service has responsibility for each of the last five years, (a) how many prisoners have absconded (b) how many prisoners who absconded were caught and returned to prisons, (c) how many prisoners at (b) served all or part of the remainder of their sentence in a category C or above prison, (d) how many prisoners have absconded who have yet to be recaptured and (e) how much annual investment has been made in each of the category D prisons designed to deter absconding; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Categorisation relates to prisoners not prisons. Category D prisoners are those who it is assessed can be reasonably trusted in open conditions. The information sought is not collated in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The available information is set out in the following table. Data are given in respect of prisons that are now open or semi-open. Drake Hall was a female open prison until January 2002 when it became a semi-open prison. Hatfield open young offender institution became Moorland open prison in 2002. Morton Hall was re-roled from male open to female semi-open in 2000. Data on the number recaptured may be understated due to under-reporting.
	No investment has been made in open prisons specifically aimed at deterring absconding, but prisoners allocated to open conditions are selected on the basis of stringent risk assessment procedures. The nature of the regimes in the open estate, with their focus on effective resettlement in the community after release, are designed to encourage the development of personal responsibility on the part of prisoners. Those prisoners who do abscond are usually located in closed, category C, prisons following recapture. In addition to the more limited regime and greater restrictions which apply in such prisons, prisoners who abscond are likely to receive a punishment involving added days and the loss of various privileges. Where eligible, such prisoners would also be extremely unlikely to secure early release on home detention curfew licence.
	
		Prison absconders
		
			 Prison Number of prisoners absconding1998–991999–20002000–012001–022002–03In total over the five years Number reported as recaptured by 17 June 2003 Number not reported as recaptured by 17 June 2003 
		
		
			 Askham Grange 21 20 21 20 12 94 56 38 
			 Blantyre House 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 
			 Drake Hall 122 93 38 32 0 285 267 18 
			 East Sutton Park 3 2 3 2 0 10 8 2 
			 Ford 38 68 57 54 91 308 257 51 
			 Hatfield/Moorland 68 36 35 50 56 244 228 16 
			 Hewell Grange 16 32 20 15 23 106 76 30 
			 Hollesley Bay 24 11 24 8 14 81 80 1 
			 Kirkham 196 173 169 164 209 911 852 59 
			 Kirklevington Grange 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 
			 Latchmere House 0 0 1 2 1 4 1 3 
			 Leyhill 24 34 25 17 33 133 96 37 
			 Morton Hall 16 23 6 0 0 45 44 1 
			 North Sea Camp 27 29 24 36 34 150 13 16 
			 Usk/Prescoed 13 19 14 5 8 59 51 8 
			 Grendon/Spring Hill 9 14 14 12 23 72 53 19 
			 Standford Hill 4 35 29 37 81 184 132 52 
			 Sudbury 64 62 69 79 68 342 317 25 
			 Thorn Cross 123 147 108 137 152 667 619 48 
			 Wealstun 67 72 116 79 103 437 380 57

Prisons

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison cells there are; and of these how many are regarded as safe cells.

Paul Goggins: The number of available prison cells changes daily as a result of construction and change in use. At present, the number of cells in use is approximately 45,000. Almost 3,000 safer cells have been installed.

Prisons

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he has taken to expand the capacity of existing prisons to meet the forecast average population of the prison estate for 2004.

Paul Goggins: Funding from the May 2002 budget was provided for 2,320 places to be delivered over the following 12 months.
	In addition, we have already announced that £60 million will be made available to provide 740 places by March 2004, together with funding for 450 places at Birmingham prison, which are currently scheduled to open by April 2004. A further £138 million has been agreed from the Budget, which will be used to build around 1,000 places over the period 2004–06.
	Provisions in the Criminal Justice Bill will provide sentencers with a range of new disposals to enable them to impose tough and flexible sentences on offenders who do not need to be given custodial sentences. We are also introducing tough new community sentences such as the 'Intensive Control and Change programme' (ICCP) aimed at cutting offending by 18 to 20-year-olds by tackling their offending behaviour and aiding rehabilitation. We have also extended the Home Detention Curfew scheme to increase the maximum period to four and a half months.

Prisons

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unfilled positions there were in the Prison Service in each month since June 2002; by what percentage the Prison Service is understaffed in each prison in the UK; and what measures his Department is taking to increase the number of prison officers into the Prison Service.

Paul Goggins: The number of unfilled prison officer grade positions in the Prison Service for each month since June 2002 is shown in Table A. The percentage shortfall in each prison in England and Wales within the public sector is contained in Table B. It has not been possible to collate this information for contracted out prisons and I shall write to the hon. Member when the information is available.
	There are a number of measures under way to increase recruitment and retention. The National Staffing Unit successfully increased prison officer recruitment from an average 1,000 a year to 2,096 during 2002–03. In line with all other recruitment, responsibility for officer recruitment has now been devolved to area and establishment level in order that areas of specific need can be addressed more effectively by local advertising and recruitment campaigns. The majority of applicants wish to work in their home area and are not prepared to move to where establishments have vacancies. Recruitment campaigns have been and continue to be run in areas where shortages are identified and provision has been made to train a further 2,200 new officers during the current financial year.
	Shortfalls have occurred at a number of establishments where additional accommodation has been built and recruitment has increased the pressure on training course places. Many establishments which are currently understaffed have recruited staff and are awaiting their availability to start training.
	In addition, local allowances have been introduced to assist in the retention of staff in areas of high turnover.
	
		Table A
		
			  Staff in post Planned posts Shortfall Percentage under staffed 
		
		
			 June 2002 22,897.5 23,785.1 887.6 3.88 
			 July 2002 22,915 23,785.1 870.1 3.80 
			 August 2002 22,924 23,785.1 861.1 3.76 
			 September 2002 23,015.5 24,073.1 1,057.6 4.60 
			 October 2002 23,109.5 24,073.1 963.6 4.17 
			 November 2002 23,088.5 24,073.1 984.6 4.26 
			 December 2002 23,090.5 24,214.6 1,124.1 4.87 
			 January 2003 23,223.5 24,214.6 991.1 4.27 
			 February 2003 23,246.5 24,214.6 968.1 4.16 
			 March 2003 23,320.5 24,310.85 990.35 4.25 
			 April 2003 23,356.5 24,310.85 954.35 4.09 
			 May 2003 23,383.5 24,310.85 927.35 3.97 
		
	
	
		Table B
		
			  Staff in post Planned posts Percentage under staffed 
		
		
			 Highpoint North 87 112 22.32 
			 Highdown 243.5 295 17.46 
			 Lancaster Farms 202.5 243 16.67 
			 Erlestoke 102 121.5 16.05 
			 Bullingdon 212.5 253 16.01 
			 Bullwood Hall 76.5 90 15.00 
			 Downview 98 115 14.78 
			 Exeter 173.5 201 13.68 
			 Bristol 266 308 13.64 
			 Askham Grange 29.5 34 13.24 
			 Send 65 74 12.16 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 278 316 12.03 
			 Haslar 46 52 11.54 
			 Hindley 250.5 282 11.17 
			 Dorchester 80 90 11.11 
			 Feltham 417.5 468 10.79 
			 Whitemoor 475 529 10.21 
			 Belmarsh 490 543.5 9.84 
			 Lancaster 80.5 89 9.55 
			 Gloucester 119.5 132 9.47 
			 Holloway 261 288 9.38 
			 Portland 156.5 172.5 9.28 
			 Long Lartin 361 397 9.07 
			 Warren Hill 137 150.5 8.97 
			 Grendon 154 169 8.88 
			 Leyhill 67 73.5 8.84 
			 Drake Hall 81 88.5 8.47 
			 Brixton 221 241 8.30 
			 Rochester 136 147.5 7.80 
			 North Sea Camp 38.5 41.75 7.78 
			 Eastwood Park 116.5 126 7.54 
			 Garth 215 232.5 7.53 
			 Lincoln 211 228 7.46 
			 Bedford 139.5 150 7.00 
			 Hewell Grange 29.5 31.6 6.65 
			 Huntercombe 159 170 6.47 
			 The Mount 150 160 6.25 
			 Ford 61 65 6.15 
			 Littlehey 144 153 5.88 
			 Cookham Wood 56.5 60 5.83 
			 Thorn Cross 105 111.5 5.83 
			 Acklington 218.5 232 5.82 
			 Onley 223.5 237 5.70 
			 Stafford 164.5 174 5.46 
			 Frankland 471.5 498.5 5.42 
			 Werrington 79.5 84 5.36 
			 Albany 142 150 5.33 
			 Woodhill 434 457 5.03 
			 Camp Hill 143.5 151 4.97 
			 Wellingborough 135 142 4.93 
			 Morton Hall 107.5 113 4.87 
			 Preston 234.5 246 4.67 
			 Wakefield 358 375 4.53 
			 Northallerton 65 68 4.41 
			 Gartree 144.5 151 4.30 
			 Deerbolt 176 183 3.83 
			 Liverpool 495.5 515 3.79 
			 Durham 408.5 424 3.66 
			 New Hall 186 193 3.63 
			 Dover 109 113 3.54 
			 Lindholme 192 199 3.52 
			 Blundeston 152.5 158 3.48 
			 Parkhurst 190 196 3.06 
			 Guys Marsh 143.5 148 3.04 
			 Brockhill 99 102 2.94 
			 Low Newton 139 143 2.80 
			 Blantyre House 35 36 2.78 
			 Brinsford 229 235.5 2.76 
			 Wayland 152 156 2.56 
			 Wymott 208 213 2.35 
			 Stocken 147.5 151 2.32 
			 Aylesbury 170.5 174.5 2.29 
			 Kirklevington 44 45 2.22 
			 Pentonville 384 392.5 2.17 
			 Nottingham 181 185 2.16 
			 Wetherby 161.5 165 2.12 
			 Lewes 173.5 177 1.98 
			 Castington 210 214 1.87 
			 Weare 109.5 111.5 1.79 
			 Ranby 225 229 1.75 
			 Wandsworth 367 373.5 1.74 
			 Cardiff 235 239 1.6 
			 Glen Parva 250 254 1.57 
			 Chelmsford 191.5 194 1.29 
			 Wealstun 154 156 1.28 
			 Hollesley Bay 41.5 42 1.19 
			 Usk/Prescoed 87 88 1.14 
			 Standford Hill 89 90 1.11 
			 Full Sutton 478.5 483.5 1.03 
			 Maidstone 192 194 1.03 
			 Hull 339.5 343 1.02 
			 Stoke Heath 232 234 0.85 
			 Haverigg 127.5 128.5 0.78 
			 Sudbury 66.5 67 0.75 
			 Featherstone 142 143 0.70 
			 Holme House 307 308.5 0.49 
			 Buckley Hall 109.5 110 0.45 
			 Channings Wood 161.5 162 0.31 
			 Winchester 219 198.5 0.00 
			 Whatton 93 92 0.00 
			 The Verne 108 105.5 0.00 
			 Swinfen Hall 119 119 0.00 
			 Swansea 128 128 0.00 
			 Swaleside 243.5 238 0.00 
			 Styal 171 169 0.00 
			 Shrewsbury 104.5 102 0.00 
			 Shepton Mallet 65 65 0.00 
			 Risley 306.5 301 0.00 
			 Reading 115.5 114.5 0.00 
			 Norwich 230 229 0.00 
			 Moorland 335.5 331 0.00 
			 Manchester 421 416 0.00 
			 Leicester 131 122 0.00 
			 Leeds 417.5 414.5 0.00 
			 Latchmere House 39 39 0.00 
			 Kirkham 87 85 0.00 
			 Kingston 77 73 0.00 
			 Highpoint South 199 168 0.00 
			 Foston Hall 87 83.5 0.00 
			 Everthorpe 121 121 0.00 
			 Elmley 255 242 0.00 
			 East Sutton Park 24.5 22.5 0.00 
			 Dartmoor 178.5 175 0.00 
			 Coldingley 99 98 0.00 
			 Canterbury 116.5 110 0.00 
			 Blakenhurst 177 166 0.00 
			 Birmingham 381 319 0.00 
			 Ashwell 114.5 111.5 0.00

Prisons

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the adequacy of arrangements to prevent prisoners receiving medication attempting to take an overdose;
	(2)  what guidance is given to prisons about the staffing of prison hospital wings by non hospital wing staff;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the adequacy of medical training given to prison hospital staff.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 17 June 2003
	We intend to publish the report of a review of pharmacy services for prisoners very shortly. The national occupational standards for custodial health care set out the competencies required for the administration of medication, including in circumstances where there is a risk of self-harm.
	The "Toolkit for Health Care Needs Assessment in Prisons" (University of Birmingham February 2000) provided guidance for prisons and the NHS on the planning requirements for health care services for prisoners. The organisation and staffing of health care centres are matters to be determined by prison governors, in consultation with their local NHS partners. The level and mix of staff at different times of the day are decided locally, subject to the same considerations as for other areas of the prison.
	Within the context of the prison health reforms, specific studies were carried out on the training and other developmental needs of prison doctors, nurses and health care officers. The recommendations in these reports, which are available at: www.doh.gov.uk/prisonhealth/ publications, have been accepted and are in the process of being implemented.
	A report into the circumstances surrounding the act of self-harm by a prisoner on 9 June 2003 at Woodhill prison was received by the Prison Service on 13 June. This was forwarded to Ministers on 17 June 2003, along with the Prison Service's response. I made a written ministerial statement on 19 June 2003, Official Report, column 13WS about the findings of the inquiry.

Prisons

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) sick days were taken and (b) prison officers were on sick leave owing to mental health problems in each prison in each year since 1997.

Paul Goggins: Sickness absence is recorded in terms of the reason for absence. The following table provides the number of working days lost and cases recorded among officer grade staff for psychological conditions in each year since April 1999. Reliable sickness absence information is not available prior to 1999.
	Data relates to prison officer, senior officer and principal officer grades. Over the period, the number of officers in post has risen from 23,875 at 31 March 1999 to 24,825 at 31 March 2003. Information on contracted out prisons is not available as it is commercial in confidence.
	
		
			  1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
			  Working days lost Cases Working days lost Cases Working days lost Cases Working days lost Cases 
		
		
			 Acklington 901 23 319 7 431 10 544 13 
			 Albany 399 9 116 4 128 5 119 4 
			 Ashwell 98 5 72 5 144 2 286 7 
			 Askham Grange 209 8 269 4 266 3 448 4 
			 Aylesbury 769 38 1,314 34 839 18 873 19 
			 Bedford 528 26 614 30 717 20 1,037 18 
			 Belmarsh 1,448 34 2,344 56 3,161 105 3,180 79 
			 Birmingham 1,338 30 2,426 53 1,105 34 1,086 29 
			 Blakenhurst — — — — 291 11 1,194 25 
			 Blantyre House 129 1 27 1 0 0 11 1 
			 Blundeston 516 18 604 17 525 12 453 16 
			 Brinsford 649 21 539 20 516 12 694 16 
			 Bristol 1,612 45 2,025 41 845 25 973 25 
			 Brixton 1,064 27 3,051 56 2,251 48 1,635 40 
			 Brockhill 513 11 625 12 695 15 839 23 
			 Buckley Hall 81 6 61 6 538 11 469 11 
			 Bullingdon 649 24 1,414 41 700 37 1,446 70 
			 Bullwood Hall 334 8 249 10 220 10 46 4 
			 Camp Hill 439 12 96 7 44 4 115 9 
			 Canterbury 682 20 689 20 357 15 686 13 
			 Cardiff 763 21 1,076 26 1,328 31 819 22 
			 Castington 1,956 28 1,743 30 2,192 36 1,608 19 
			 Channings Wood 46 4 54 6 664 10 429 12 
			 Chelmsford 1,356 28 434 18 693 13 514 13 
			 Coldingley 153 5 269 2 394 13 224 9 
			 Cookham Wood 108 2 60 3 1 2 109 7 
			 Dartmoor 684 18 879 31 1,073 17 1,919 36 
			 Deerbolt 465 12 453 10 280 6 617 18 
			 Dorchester 708 5 360 5 135 3 213 2 
			 Dover 317 8 477 9 471 7 312 4 
			 Downview 576 14 386 11 414 8 452 11 
			 Drake Hall 297 11 321 6 504 15 282 8 
			 Durham 1,132 27 1,011 34 2,056 36 2,010 45 
			 East Sutton Park 15 2 0 0 19 1 101 4 
			 Eastwood Park 355 12 264 15 1,088 20 828 17 
			 Elmley 620 16 750 23 639 27 777 41 
			 Erlestoke 275 7 289 12 374 6 533 8 
			 Everthorpe 27 3 383 6 11 2 132 5 
			 Exeter 677 20 646 15 999 24 1,027 30 
			 Featherstone 263 14 162 5 137 5 75 7 
			 Feltham 1,623 39 1,804 38 2,129 44 1,131 60 
			 Ford 1 1 50 3 32 3 182 6 
			 Foston Hall 206 5 341 10 306 12 279 9 
			 Frankland 471 15 904 25 1,185 28 1,011 21 
			 Full Sutton 1,256 40 1,198 38 2,304 49 2,028 36 
			 Garth 813 19 1,430 21 822 12 989 16 
			 Gartree 799 16 699 8 761 8 457 10 
			 Glen Parva 692 20 1,301 22 462 15 1,535 30 
			 Gloucester 559 7 664 12 856 15 982 23 
			 Grendon 321 6 784 21 1,198 19 1,438 30 
			 Guys Marsh 399 7 330 8 461 10 1,070 15 
			 Haslar 117 9 65 2 299 3 294 4 
			 Haverigg 513 8 409 12 793 27 571 13 
			 Hewell Grange 0 0 2 1 135 2 124 2 
			 Highdown 894 22 1,152 30 1,234 29 1,409 25 
			 Highpoint 402 18 722 16 218 7 321 9 
			 Highpoint North — — — — 352 9 406 12 
			 Hindley 71 7 380 12 417 15 1,534 26 
			 Hollesley Bay 818 9 540 13 701 16 391 5 
			 Holloway 1,746 42 2,386 48 2,060 51 2,439 57 
			 Holme House 904 19 954 22 789 24 1,510 30 
			 Hull 194 10 567 19 578 13 950 22 
			 Huntercombe 453 8 1,033 23 1,189 30 569 32 
			 Kingston 144 9 83 7 125 4 218 6 
			 Kirkham 155 9 189 8 108 2 154 3 
			 Kirklevington 64 2 0 0 136 3 61 2 
			 Lancaster 25 2 229 14 229 5 460 9 
			 Lancaster Farms 851 20 978 12 546 15 415 13 
			 Latchmere House 0 0 11 1 89 5 50 7 
			 Leeds 1,339 57 1,110 38 1,913 43 1,904 45 
			 Leicester 131 10 603 14 657 11 1,064 16 
			 Lewes 927 22 854 20 798 21 1,099 29 
			 Leyhill 269 3 166 6 463 9 221 5 
			 Lincoln 311 6 413 10 263 8 2,166 50 
			 Lindholme 420 6 604 17 664 15 1,202 23 
			 Littlehey 494 19 1,086 14 1,466 21 767 15 
			 Liverpool 826 20 2,689 56 2,550 42 2,507 46 
			 Long Lartin 811 23 1,241 23 553 17 365 18 
			 Low Newton 71 3 135 8 288 9 243 10 
			 Maidstone 729 17 790 18 927 25 1,690 26 
			 Manchester 2,529 44 2,509 49 3,019 63 3,591 52 
			 Moorland 409 14 821 29 998 16 1,173 27 
			 Morton Hall 203 4 8 1 136 9 399 13 
			 New Hall 334 11 93 6 451 12 882 20 
			 North Sea Camp 1 1 190 5 223 12 144 15 
			 Northallerton 284 8 172 5 82 4 54 3 
			 Norwich 486 9 631 19 593 19 1,171 29 
			 Nottingham 968 23 420 10 356 16 724 21 
			 Onley 634 21 896 29 1,544 32 1,946 35 
			 Parkhurst 585 12 565 14 1,568 26 1,225 19 
			 Pentonville 1,115 38 1,012 40 1,799 56 1,744 37 
			 Portland 731 28 1,183 29 1,281 21 528 7 
			 Preston 1,095 25 1,217 22 1,044 18 1,057 24 
			 Ranby 341 7 55 6 349 14 781 21 
			 Reading 127 2 874 18 778 14 571 17 
			 Risley 1,714 20 1,032 20 1,692 28 3,938 55 
			 Rochester 469 8 417 18 793 13 2,091 28 
			 Send 46 6 222 16 828 44 127 8 
			 Shepton Mallet 158 5 230 6 24 6 148 4 
			 Shrewsbury 280 8 348 5 967 8 719 8 
			 Stafford 1,186 25 805 31 1,654 28 1,207 25 
			 Standford Hill 696 11 137 7 30 1 381 8 
			 Stocken 269 7 251 9 341 5 305 7 
			 Stoke Heath 999 14 679 12 664 26 1,332 23 
			 Styal 943 18 630 15 699 9 540 18 
			 Sudbury 82 6 266 3 314 10 221 9 
			 Swaleside 239 13 786 18 1,592 22 1,184 21 
			 Swansea 110 4 544 14 666 9 547 6 
			 Swinfen Hall 75 4 11 1 115 6 274 7 
			 The Mount 299 10 534 16 174 8 311 15 
			 The Verne 64 4 66 5 169 10 49 4 
			 Thorn Cross 162 5 217 10 497 14 689 15 
			 Usk/Prescoed 115 1 9 3 68 5 500 10 
			 Wakefield 928 21 1,002 25 1,950 40 2,023 43 
			 Wandsworth 538 18 982 33 1,716 26 2,434 51 
			 Warren Hill — — — — — — 579 9 
			 Wayland 166 5 109 8 192 5 349 8 
			 Wealstun 579 10 309 8 201 8 180 7 
			 Weare 744 21 630 24 338 12 356 10 
			 Wellingborough 427 12 569 16 490 11 814 24 
			 Werrington 446 9 590 11 191 10 234 7 
			 Wetherby 341 9 477 21 1,149 17 749 11 
			 Whatton 129 5 66 3 21 2 138 4 
			 Whitemoor 1,037 33 2,385 39 3,044 56 1,776 46 
			 Winchester 2,010 40 1,307 29 1,299 45 1,296 41 
			 Woodhill 1,100 34 1,502 38 2,868 58 3,441 70 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 3,579 69 2,412 54 2,354 74 2,525 53 
			 Wymott 394 8 639 18 1,030 27 747 20 
			 HQ 501 6 539 9 977 10 713 8 
			 Total 74,637 1,894 87,117 2,188 101,629 2,360 114,228 2,583

Prisons

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many instances of (a) suicide, (b) self-harm and (c) violence against staff or inmates have occurred at HMP Styal in each month since January.

Paul Goggins: The following tables give the information requested.
	
		
			 Month (2003) Number of self-inflicted deaths Number of instances of self-harm 
		
		
			 January 1 25 
			 February 0 42 
			 March 0 39 
			 April 1 30 
			 May 0 Not available 
			 June(20) 1 Not available 
			 Total 3 136 
		
	
	(20) up to 17 June 2003
	
		
			 Month (2003) Number of assaults against staff Number of assaults against prisoners 
		
		
			 January 4 1 
			 February 3 0 
			 March 5 0 
			 April 4 4 
			 May 4 0 
			 June(21) Not available Not available 
			 Total 20 5 
		
	
	(21) up to 17 June 2003
	Emerging findings from a group examining recent deaths in custody at Styal have helped to bring about a number of immediate changes. These include the maximisation of prisoners' access to work, education and time out of cell, as well as to various peer support schemes and mental health professionals; improvements to Styal's induction programme; and an improved package of training and support for staff in first-aid and management of suicidal women.
	In the longer term, 200,000 of funding has been secured to dedicate part of Styal's Waite wing to a proposed high-risk activity team, which will include staff specially trained in risk identification and management. NHS funding has been secured to provide a methadone maintenance programme for women dependent on opiates (subject to staff recruitment), a particular necessity in the female estate where a high percentage of receptions are poly-drug users.

Prisons

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to (a) reduce overcrowding in prisons, (b) reduce the number of security incidents in prisons reported to the Home Office each week and (c) improve the vetting procedures for employing prison officers into the Prison Service.

Paul Goggins: Funding has been provided for 2,820 extra prison places to be built at existing prisons. In addition, two new prisons will be opened at Ashford and Peterborough. Together with building programmes in progress, these will increase the total useable capacity of the Prison Service estate from 74,138 (as at 19 June 2003) to around 78,700 by 2006.
	Provisions in the Criminal Justice Bill will provide sentencers with a range of new disposals to enable them to impose tough and flexible sentences on offenders who do not need to be given custodial sentences. We are also introducing tough new community sentences such as the 'Intensive Control and Change programme' aimed at cutting offending by 18 to 20-year-olds by tackling their offending behaviour and aiding rehabilitation. We have also extended the Home Detention Curfew scheme to increase the maximum period to four and a half months. Whatever the population pressures, the Government are uncompromising in its response to serious and dangerous offenders: where there is a need to protect the public, they will be held in a secure environment.
	Prisons are required to report security incidents to Prison Service headquarters. The number of reported incidents in prisons has increased over recent years. In part this is due to improved reporting, although both the number and rate of incidents has increased. Incident data is monitored and analysed so that policy and procedures can be reviewed in order to minimise future incidents and disseminate best practice. Key performance indicators on escapes, assaults and drug testing focus managers and staff on preventing these types of security incidents and self inflicted deaths.
	Major initiatives aimed at minimising security incidents include a review of the security manual, a programme of perimeter security improvements in selected prisons and a security awareness programme. Improved analysis and research into the pattern and causes of incidents, including those of concerted indiscipline and hostage taking, is under way.
	The Safer Custody Group is working on a violence reduction strategy that will focus on prevention. This mirrors similar approaches taken in the community and in other organisations. Work is already under way to increase the problem-solving capacity of staff and prisoners, improve risk management, reduce violent offending and prevent victimisation.
	The Prison Service Drug Strategy includes a co-ordinated package of measures to reduce both the supply of—and demand for—drugs in prison. These include improving CCTV in visits areas, providing additional drug detection dogs, introducing comprehensive measures to deal with visitors who attempt to smuggle drugs, research into the most effective electronic drug-detection equipment, better use of fixed and low-level furniture, and improving drugs awareness training for staff. In February 2003, the Prison Service announced the Supply Reduction Project (SRP)—a co-ordinated programme that aims to support establishments reduce still further the supply of drugs in prisons.
	In addition to these centrally led initiatives, establishments have developed local programmes tailored to their particular circumstances. These include violence reduction and anti-bullying programmes. Minimising the number of security incidents is essential to the safe custody of prisoners and to the protection of prisoners and staff. However, the number of incidents will increase as population increases and it should be recognised that the majority of incidents other than escapes, assaults and deaths are quickly and safely resolved by Prison Service staff through the use of good contingency planning and incident resolution procedures.
	A formal investigation into the circumstances of the employment of a journalist at Woodhill is scheduled to report by 27 June 2003. The terms of reference include a requirement to ascertain what took place and recommend changes to recruitment and pre-appointment vetting procedures. It would not be appropriate to pre-empt the findings of the report. The Prison Service will consider urgently what action to take in the light of the recommendations.

Public Service Agreements

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of the public service agreements of his Department set out in the document, "Public Services for the Future 1998", have been met; and if he will make a statement.

David Blunkett: Success in meeting the targets set during the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) was summarised in the chart on pages 12 to 19 of the Home Office "Targets Delivery Report" (Cm 5754), published in February 2003. More detailed information about performance is provided in the Home Office Annual Reports, covering the period 1999–2000 to 2001–02.
	Responsibility for some activities, which were the subject of Home Office targets in the CSR, have transferred to other Government Departments in subsequent changes in the machinery of Government; these targets are identified in the "Targets Delivery Report".

Radical Islamic Groups (Funding)

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reports he has received about the funding of international radical Islamic groups through United Kingdom banks by (a) the International Islamic Relief Organisation, (b) al-Haramain and (c) the World Assembly of Muslim Youth.

David Blunkett: I have not received any reports through United Kingdom banks concerning the funding of the International Islamic Relief Organisation, al-Haramain or the World Assembly of Muslim Youth.

Regulations/Statutory Instruments

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the regulations and statutory instruments introduced in each of the last three years in the categories (a) crime and policing, (b) drugs, (c) community and race relations, (d) criminal justice system and victims of crime, (e) prisons and probation services, (f) terrorism and (g) other responsibilities of his Department, indicating those which have a sunset clause.

David Blunkett: holding answer 16 June 2003
	It is not possible to provide the detailed information requested otherwise than at disproportionate cost. However, the total numbers of statutory instruments (including regulations) made by Home Office Ministers during 2000 was 118; during 2001 was 115 and during 2002 was 114.
	The following instruments included sunset clauses:
	The Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (Part V Exemption: Eligible Voluntary Bodies and Relevant Employers) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/1393);
	The Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (Part V Exemption: Relevant Employers) Order 2002 (S.I. 2002/9);
	The Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (Part V Exemption: Relevant Employers) Order 2002 (S.I. 2002/3025);
	The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Codes of Practice) (Modification) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/2254);
	The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Codes of Practice) (Temporary Modifications to Code D) Order 2002 (S.I. 2002/615);
	The Charities (Exception from Registration) (Amendment) Regulations 2002.

Regulatory Bodies

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the (a) number of staff employed by and (b) budget of each regulatory body for which his Department is responsible in each year since 1997.

David Blunkett: The information is to be found in the annual publication "Public Bodies" for the respective years. Copies are available in the Library.

Stop and Search

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list (a) the time period and (b) the area covered for all authorisations for stop and search granted under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 since 1 January.

David Blunkett: It is a longstanding policy of this and previous administrations not to comment on operational counter-terrorist measures. However, I can confirm that Section 44 authorisations have been approved for periods of up to 28 days, covering both specifically designated zones, and entire force areas. The total number of stops and searches by force area are provided in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin—Arrests for Notifiable Offences and the Operation of Certain Police Powers under PACE.

Tuberculosis

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons having been granted (a) residence and (b) indefinite leave to remain on the basis of suffering from (i) TB, (ii) HIV Aids and (iii) Hepatitis B in each of the last five years; and how many persons are dependent on them.

Beverley Hughes: I regret that the information requested is not available.
	Information on the number of people granted leave to remain, either temporary or permanent, in the UK on the basis from suffering from any of the conditions listed is not collated centrally and so could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.
	Any application to stay in the UK on compassionate grounds because an applicant has a serious medical condition is given careful consideration on its individual merits. Those who are granted leave are normally given discretionary leave to remain for a limited period rather than indefinite leave, unless they qualify for settlement on some other basis, such as long residence.

Youth Court Targets

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress the Government has made in meeting its target to halve the time between arrest and sentence in the youth courts, compared with 1997; and what the average time was between (a) arrest and sentence, (b) arrest and first appearance in court and (c) conviction and sentence in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins: In 1997 the Government pledged to halve the time from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders from 142 days to 71 days. In 2000 it averaged 93 days, in 2001 76 days and in 2002 68 days. The Pledge has now been met for seven consecutive quarters.
	We do not break down the Pledge performance data into arrest to first appearance, and conviction to sentence, but the Department for Constitutional Affairs does have average figures for young defendants, persistent or otherwise, whose cases are completed in the magistrates courts. These are, in days:
	
		
			  Arrest to first listing Verdict to sentence Arrest to sentence 
		
		
			 1997 Not available Not available Not available 
			 2000 18 14 64 
			 2001 17 11 58 
			 2002 17 7 55

WORK AND PENSIONS

Age Positive Campaign

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what plans he has to continue funding the Age Positive Campaign; and what assessment he has made of its budget requirements for each of the next three years;
	(2)  how many organisations signed up to be age positive champions in each of the last 12 months.

Malcolm Wicks: The Age Positive Campaign has funding for three years from April 2003. Budget requirements for future years will be considered as part of the 2004 spending review.
	In the last 12 months 25 employers have voluntarily sought endorsement and received approval as age positive champions. This figure cannot be broken down on a month by month basis.

Amesbury Jobcentre

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many clients have been (a) advised and (b) placed by the Amesbury jobcentre in each of the past 12 months.

Des Browne: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from David Anderson to Robert Key, dated 19 June 2003
	As Jobcentre Plus is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply direct to your question about how many clients have been advised and placed by the Amesbury Jobcentre in each of the past 12 months. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
	The information requested on the number of people advised by Amesbury Jobcentre is not available. Records are not kept of the number of people given employment advice. Although statistics are kept for the number of people registered as unemployed with Amesbury Jobcentre we offer advice to a wide range of people including lone parents, people claiming incapacity benefits and people already in employment. Therefore the number of registered unemployed people using the Jobcentre is not a reliable guide for the total number of these people benefiting from our services.
	The number of people placed into work by the Amesbury Jobcentre is shown in the table:
	
		Job placements through Amesbury jobcentre
		
			 Year/month Placements 
		
		
			 2002  
			 May 34 
			 June 36 
			 July 20 
			 August 50 
			 September 39 
			 October 40 
			 November 50 
			 December 40 
			   
			 2003  
			 January 17 
			 February 34 
			 March 29 
			 April 29 
			 Total 418 
		
	
	Source:
	Jobcentre Plus Business Information System (BIS)
	I hope this is helpful.

Council Tax Benefit

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of likely changes in claims for council tax benefit during 2003–04 in (a) England and (b) Eastbourne.

Malcolm Wicks: We forecast that the average number of council tax benefit recipients in England during 2003–04 will be 4,179,000. This compares with an estimated 4,018,000 in 2002–03. The estimated average number of recipients in Eastbourne during 2002–03 was 7,410. Forecasts are not available by local authority.
	Notes:
	1. Figures underlie the Chancellor's Budget forecasts of expenditure.
	2. The figure for 2002–03 is an estimated outturn (based on part year outturn figures, estimated for the most recent quarter).
	3. Figures for England are rounded to the nearest thousand. The figure for Eastbourne is rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Department for Work and Pensions, Information and Analysis Directorate, Benefit Forecasting and Model Development.

Housing Benefit Fraud

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Croydon, South (Richard Ottaway) of 9 June 2000, Official Report, columns 702–3W, on housing benefit fraud, if he will list the local authorities in Scotland which have signed up for the Verification Framework.

Malcolm Wicks: The following 25 local authorities in Scotland, out of a total of 32, have signed up for the Verification Framework and are compliant in one or more of the three modules:
	Aberdeenshire
	Angus
	Argyll and Bute
	Clackmannanshire
	Dumfries and Galloway
	East Dunbartonshire
	East Lothian
	East Renfrewshire
	Falkirk
	Fife
	Highland
	Inverclyde
	Midlothian
	Moray
	North Lanarkshire
	Orkney
	Perthshire and Kinross
	Scottish Borders
	Shetland
	South Ayrshire
	South Lanarkshire
	Stirling
	West Dunbartonshire
	West Lothian
	Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles)
	We are encouraging the remaining local authorities to become compliant with the Verification Framework.

Identity Fraud

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many prosecutions have resulted from National Identity Fraud Unit investigations in each year since it was established.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is in the table.
	
		Prosecutions resulting from investigations by the National Identity Fraud Unit
		
			  Number of prosecutions 
		
		
			 1998 79 
			 1999 191 
			 2000 223 
			 2001 92 
			 2002 103 
			 2003 to date 70 
			 Total 758

Pensions

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 8 May 2003, Official Report, column 815W, when the research will be published.

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are considering the options for publication of the research it has commissioned into the likely market impacts of a charge cap on retail investment products.

Poverty

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many area-based poverty initiatives are administered by his Department; and if he will list them.

Maria Eagle: The Government believe that helping more people into work is the best way to reduce poverty and guarantee a better standard of living for everyone in our society.
	The Department for Work and Pensions has launched a wide range of labour market initiatives and continues to improve the help provided by piloting new approaches in specific areas. These initiatives and pilots for new ways of working, such as StepUp and Employment Zones, build on the success of the New Deal in helping the long-term unemployed back into work.
	Two of these initiatives are specifically area-based—Action Teams for Jobs and Ethnic Minority Outreach. The objective for both these initiatives is to help people from disadvantaged communities to find work.

Private Pension Schemes

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average overall percentage cost of administration is in private pension schemes run by life companies; and what plans he has to require the full extent of this cost to be more transparent to existing and future pension plan holders.

Malcolm Wicks: Information on the average cost of administration of life company private pension schemes is not collected by the Government. The Government's requirements on the transparency of fund administration costs to individual policyholders relates to stakeholder pensions and are as follows.
	There is a maximum annual charge of one per cent. of the value of the member's fund to cover all the costs associated with membership of the scheme. No payments in addition to the one per cent. charge may be made from the member's fund other than a payment; for the purchase or provision of an annuity for the member in accordance with the scheme, or for the making of payments of income (otherwise than by way of an annuity) to a member under arrangements made in accordance with the scheme (income drawdown facilities); for the discharge of the trustee' or managers' liability concerning a pension credit under a pension sharing arrangement; for any stamp duty or other charges incurred by the trustees or manager directly in the sale or purchase of securities or property held for the purposes of the scheme, by the amount of such of those charges as are attributable to the member's rights; made in compliance with a court order to return excessive pension contributions made by a member.

Standard Local Housing Allowance

Iain Coleman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to introduce a cash limit on any gap between the actual rent paid by the claimant plus eligible housing benefit service charges and the proposed standard local housing allowance.

Malcolm Wicks: We have no plans to introduce a cash limit on any gap between the actual rents paid by tenants (plus eligible housing benefit service charges) and the standard local housing allowance.
	The SLHA will promote choice for tenants, allowing them to trade between the quality and price of their accommodation. We think it is fair that if someone chooses accommodation with rent lower than the standard allowance, they should be entitled to keep any extra money.

Standard Local Housing Allowance

Iain Coleman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the potential impact upon the social mix of housing areas of the introduction of the standard local housing allowance (a) generally and (b) in areas of high social deprivation.

Malcolm Wicks: The transparency of the standard local housing allowance should enable tenants to make more informed decisions about where they live. While we cannot predict what impact this will have on the social mix of housing areas, we expect the new scheme to encourage more movement in the private rented sector as tenants decide whether to spend more on rent, or whether to increase their after-housing-costs income by renting less expensive accommodation.
	No one will lose out as a result of the new scheme. In addition, we expect that the simplicity of the new scheme will ease the transition into work. Both of these factors are expected to have a positive impact on reducing poverty and social deprivation.
	We will be evaluating the pathfinder phase very carefully to ensure that any unusual effects on the housing market are identified.

Tax Credits

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people he estimates will lose (a) passported benefits, (b) income support and (c) council tax benefits as a result of the introduction of tax credits.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 20 June 2003
	There are a wide range of passported benefits and it is not possible to say how many people may lose entitlement as a result of new tax credits. However where free school meals and welfare foods were previously only available to families on income support and income-based jobseeker's allowance, eligibility has been extended to low income families who receive child tax credit (but not working tax credit). Entitlement to sure start maternity grants and funeral payments has also been extended to include families who receive more than the family element of child tax credit, or a disability or severe disability element of working tax credit. Families on low incomes will remain entitled to milk tokens and help with health costs.
	We estimate that around 70,000 families will move off income support or income-based jobseeker's allowance and then receive a higher income as a result of the increased generosity of new tax credits. These families can receive tax credits information and help from their local Jobcentre Plus office.
	The introduction of child tax credit has caused no changes to the rules for claiming council tax benefit. As before, it is adjusted to take into account tax credit income, being withdrawn steadily, at a rate of 20p in the pound, to ensure families always benefit from any increase in their income (whether from the new tax credits or any other source). Families who move off income support and income-based jobseeker's allowance need to make a standard claim to council tax benefit and they can be helped to do this by staff at their local Jobcentre Plus office.

Universal Bank

Sydney Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the (a) universal bank and (b) development funding for credit unions will be in place.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 23 June 2003
	Universal banking at post offices was introduced, as planned, on 1 April 2003.
	The development funding for credit unions is a matter for my right. hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.